Overview
- The blaze broke out in the early hours of Thursday with emergency services called at about 2:52am and seven fire engines plus three specialist appliances sent to the scene.
- Fire crews brought the flames largely under control by mid‑day but the roof and top floors were destroyed and the B‑listed building has been declared unsafe to enter as crews dampen down hotspots.
- There were no reported injuries and large cordons remain in place, forcing evacuations and continued tram and bus diversions that could disrupt the city centre for days.
- The property at 109 Princes Street dates to 1869, is owned by Criterion Capital which had hotel conversion plans, and the site has a recent history of redevelopment proposals and previous fire damage.
- The Fire Brigades Union used the incident to warn against further cuts to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and ministers have pointed to recent funding increases as attention turns to fire‑service resourcing and heritage protection.