Edinburgh fire: Five taken to hospital and Leith road closed after blaze in tenement building

A busy Leith street has been closed off and residents evacuated after a blaze ripped through a tenement building during the night.

Five people have been taken to hospital after a serious fire in Leith overnight. Great Junction Street was still closed this morning while emergency services secured the area. Fire services and Police raced to the scene shortly before 3am on Tuesday morning, November 15.

It’s understood the fire broke out in a flat in a three storey building on the corner of Bonnington Road and Great Junction Street. Six crews were mobilised, the fire and rescue service confirmed.

Police said they received the report of a fire in the property in Bonnington Road at about 3am. A spokesperson said: “Emergency services attended and five people were taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary as a precaution. A number of surrounding properties were evacuated. The fire is not believed to be suspicious however enquiries are ongoing into the cause.”

Emergency services secured the area in Great Junction Street, Edinburgh

Bonnnington Road at Swanfield, Cables Wynd at Mill Lane and Great Junction Street between Henderson Street and Bangor Road are currently closed, police said. Drivers are asked to avoid the area and plan ahead.

A spokeswoman for the SFRS said: "We were alerted to a fire within a building on Bonnington Road, Edinburgh, around 2.47am on Tuesday, November 15. At the height of the fire, six fire appliances and two height vehicles were mobilised to the fire affecting a third floor flat. The fire is within a tenement building and a full evacuation is underway as the fire spread to the roof.”

Fire crews were still in attendance on Tuesday afternoon, monitoring the area.