It is “upsetting” to see another historic building being destroyed by a fire, the leader of Edinburgh council has said.
The building at the site of the old Debenhams department store on Princes Street in the Scottish capital suffered “significant damage” in the blaze, which broke out in the early hours of Thursday.
The roof and top floors of the disused B-listed building have been destroyed, with the rest of the structure left blackened and charred on the inside.
Speaking to Press Association Scotland, Jane Meagher, leader of the City of Edinburgh Council, said the main priority now “has got to be safety”.
“It’s personally upsetting to see another historic building being destroyed,” she said.
“I’ve lived in this city for over 50 years and I love it. As do very many people, and that’s why so many people come to visit us.
“We hope that this disruption to local residents and businesses will be as short as possible. The main priority is people’s safety.”
Ms Meagher added: “The condition of the building is extremely important to assess, but until that’s been done, I can’t say anything about the way it is at the moment.
“Until we know what the condition is, we can’t make any decisions about when to resume normal business on Princes Street.”
She said the timeline for removing cordons and resuming business as usual is “as soon as possible”.
“We know the importance of getting everything back up to normal as quickly as possible,” Ms Meagher added.
When asked about where responsibility for the protection of historic buildings lies, the council leader said it “lies very, very firmly with the owners and with the contractors”.
She added that the council will work with the fire service to determine whether the building is structurally safe and sound, but she said it is not the council’s responsibility to keep it safe and secure.
