George IV Bridge fire: Watch as blaze in the heart of Edinburgh's historic Old Town brings the city to a standstill

One person has been taken to hospital as a large fire at George IV Bridge closed several roads in the city centre.

The emergency services were called to the blaze shortly after 6am on Tuesday.

Nine fire engines and two height appliances have been sent to the scene with members of the public being asked to avoid the area if possible.

Images from the scene show smoke pouring from a branch of Patisserie Valerie, next door to the The Elephant House cafe.

A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We received a call at 0639 hours today to attend an incident at George IV Bridge in Edinburgh with our first resource arriving on scene at 0646.

“We dispatched two ambulances, one paramedic response unit and our special operations team to the scene.

“We transported one patient to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.”

Dramatic footage has emerged of the blaze in the heart of Edinburgh's historic Old Town that brought the city to a standstill earlier today. (Credit: Matt Donlan)

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.