'Such a shame': Edinburgh residents react to huge Princes Street blaze as 'iconic' building goes up in flames
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Edinburgh residents have shared their reaction to a devastating fire on Princes Street
A huge fire that has ripped through a Princes Street building has been described as “such a shame” by Edinburgh residents reacting to the devastating fire which has destroyed a city centre building.
Graham Reed, 59, from Edinburgh, said it was a shame to see such an iconic building go up in flames.
He said: “It’s such a shame. It’s an iconic building, and it’s such a shame that yet another one’s gone up in flames on Princes Street.
“It’s just a shame to see it because we lost a couple, there was one down in Jenners as well that went up in flames a few years back.
“It’s a shame it happens.”
One resident, Daniel Artur Woda, was finishing work at around 3.40am when he and his colleagues noticed the “significant amount of black smoke” emanating from a building on Princes Street.
Mr Woda said: “Around 3.40 am, I closed the door behind me with my colleagues in the West End. We noticed a significant amount of black smoke rising above the buildings, so we went over to see whether our help might be needed and to assess the damage.
“However, the police, ambulance, and fire crews were already on the place, so the building may have been burning for at least 30 minutes, and possibly up to an hour, before we finished work.”
Another man, who gave his name as Sotirs, 36, and was on his way to work in Edinburgh, said: “I feel sad because it looks like a classic building and I feel bad because they make the city much more beautiful and it’s a nice building.”
Fire crews began battling the blaze around 3am on Thursday morning. Road closures are in place as crews continue their efforts to make the area safe.
The cause of the fire is not yet known. Police have also confirmed that they are making enquiries into the fire.
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