Two people rushed to Edinburgh hospital and residents evacuated after fire on Peffer Street

Two people were taken to hospital after a fire inside an Edinburgh tenement building.

Emergency services were alerted to a blaze inside a property on Peffer Street, at around 6pm on Wednesday, May 24. Six fire appliances descended on the scene, along with ambulances and police. Two people were taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment. Several flats within the building were evacuated. Peffer Street was closed for around four hours, while firefighters tackled the flames. Crews extinguished the blaze and made the area safe, before leaving the area on Wednesday night.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "We were alerted at 6.06pm on Wednesday, 24 May to reports of a dwelling fire in Edinburgh. Operations Control mobilised six fire appliances to the city's Peffer Street, where firefighters met by a well-developed fire within a four-storey building. Crews extinguished the fire and made the area safe before leaving the scene. Two casualties were transported to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary by the Scottish Ambulance Service."

Detectives have now launched enquiries following the fire. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We received a report of a fire at a premises on Peffer Street, Edinburgh, around 6.15pm on Wednesday, 24 May, 2023. Two people were taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment. A number of properties have been evacuated as a precaution. Enquiries are ongoing.”

The Scottish Ambulance Service has been contacted for comment.