On the evening of December 8, 2002, an uncontrollable fire ravaged through the Cowgate area of the city, causing severe damage to a number of historic buildings within the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fire is regarded Edinburgh's most destructive of the 21st century so far.On the evening of December 8, 2002, an uncontrollable fire ravaged through the Cowgate area of the city, causing severe damage to a number of historic buildings within the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fire is regarded Edinburgh's most destructive of the 21st century so far.
On the evening of December 8, 2002, an uncontrollable fire ravaged through the Cowgate area of the city, causing severe damage to a number of historic buildings within the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fire is regarded Edinburgh's most destructive of the 21st century so far.

Edinburgh nostalgia: 13 dramatic retro photos show some of the biggest fires to hit Edinburgh down the decades

Gary Flockhart
By Gary Flockhart

Lifestyle Editor

Published 14th Dec 2020, 12:30 GMT
Updated 10th Dec 2023, 12:40 GMT
These extraordinary photos show firefighters battling some of the biggest blazes to hit Edinburgh

From the Great Fire of 1824, which destroyed hundreds of homes and claimed 13 lives in the Old Town, to more recent blazes, such as the inferno that ravaged the Cowgate and South Bridge in 2002, we look back at some devastating fires that changed the face of Edinburgh forever.

Have a look through our picture gallery.

Firemen direct their hoses onto the fron of the Palace Hotel on the corner of Castle in Edinburgh as fire takes hold in June 1991. The Palace was subsequently demolished and replaced by a new building.

13. Palace Hotel fire

Firemen direct their hoses onto the fron of the Palace Hotel on the corner of Castle in Edinburgh as fire takes hold in June 1991. The Palace was subsequently demolished and replaced by a new building. Photo: Hamish Campbell

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