A person has been hospitalised as firefighters in Edinburgh battled a major blaze on George IV Bridge in the heart of the Old Town.
Witnesses at the scene said the fire is coming from a cafe next to The Elephant House where JK Rowling wrote her early Harry Potter manuscripts with a view over Edinburgh Castle.
The emergency services were called to the blaze shortly after 6am.
Paramedics said they had rushed one patient to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
Members of the public were being asked to avoid the area as the city hosts one of the world’s largest arts festivals - the Edinburgh Fringe.
The Edinburgh Civic Society tweeted: “Heartbreaking to witness yet another fire taking hold in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town. We hope no-one has been injured and that our incredible firefighters stay safe as they tackle this blaze.”
A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We received a call at 06.39 hours today to attend an incident at George IV Bridge in Edinburgh with our first resource arriving on scene at 06.46.
“We dispatched two ambulances, one advanced paramedic and our special operations team to the scene.
“We transported one patient to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.”
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: "We were alerted at 6.18am on Tuesday, August 24 to reports of a building on fire at George IV Bridge, Edinburgh.
Major fire on George IV Bridge right now, believe it’s the Elephant House cafe. Road sealed off, lots of smoke pic.twitter.com/PCJXRCG4rf
— Matt Donlan (@MrMattDonlan) August 24, 2021
"Operations Control mobilised nine appliances and two height vehicles to the scene where firefighters are tackling a fire affecting a number of properties.
"Crews are still in attendance."
Police Scotland said in a statement: "Our officers are currently assisting the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service dealing with a large fire at George IV Bridge.
"Please be aware that there are numerous road closures in the vicinity of George IV Bridge and Candlemaker Row at present and avoid the area where possible."
Pictures posted on Twitter showed plumes of smoke rising from a building on the bridge, which is in the heart of the Old Town.
The fire is close to the site of a devastating blaze that ripped through part of the Cowgate area in 2002, burning down a significant part of the UNESCO World Heritage site.
The blaze was caused by a spark from a malfunctioning fuse box and spread up eight stories up on to South Bridge.
