A major fire broke out in a historic department store building on Edinburgh's Princes Street, with flames ripping through the structure and lighting up the night sky. The fire occurred next to the Princes Street tram stop, causing significant disruption to the area. There have been no reported injuries.
The fire has thrown rush hour tram and bus services into chaos, with tram services in the area disrupted and some bus services diverted. Edinburgh Trams announced that trams are running a partial route from Edinburgh Airport to the West End only. Ticket acceptance is in place with ScotRail between Edinburgh Gateway and Edinburgh Waverley, and on Lothian Buses between the West End and Newhaven.
Firefighters continue to work on dampening the flames, with a section of Princes Street cordoned off as a precaution. The department store at the site had closed in April 2021 following a previous fire on the ground floor. Plans had been introduced to convert the Victorian building into a luxury hotel.
