Devastating fire in edinburgh's old town

[Catriona]

There has been a huge fire in the Cowgate/South Bridge area of Edinburgh.  This area is a world heritage site and some of the buildings date from the late 1400s..

The fire is still not under control, and the damage is considerable.

[CelticRadio]

That is a real shame. Please keep us informed about this fire and what historic buildings it has consumed. Obviously our first thought is with any lives that may have been lost.

[Cabbagehome]

 A fire is always so bad. One careless act, causes, all the buildings lost, all the items lost. Hope no lives are lost, and injurys are minor. God bless, all persons fighting the fires.

[free2Bme]

Is this the area where the fire is?

http://www.urban75.org/vista/cowgate.html

[Catriona]

No, the fire is further along the Cowgate, towards the Hunter Square area of the town.  If I can find a picture, I'll post it.

[scottish2]

This would be better without the bus in it but the caption said it was in the Hunter Square area.

[Catriona]

Scottish2 - the block on the right of the picture is involved - but the fire is actually in a street below that block - the town slopes down quite sharply and the street below is the Cowgate.  It is quite hard to explain!  I'll have a look for some photographs on the site owned by a brilliant Edinburgh amateur photographer.  If he's got anything, I'll post Dave's picture here.

I've searched Dave's website and cannot find any photographs which would better shown the area involved.  However, here's the latest from the BBCnews website.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/2559069.stm

[Aon_Daonna]

boohooooo.......

[free2Bme]

Thanks for the BBC link CAtriona - I never knew about Edinburgh's Old Town. How sad that such a terrible thing has happened! It is akin to someone dynamiting the Egyptian Pyramids!!    So sad!

[Catriona]

Amongst Edinburgh's many claims to fame is the (supposed) fact that the world's first skyscrapers were built there!  The buildings in areas such as the closes off the High Street (Royal Mile) were built, tall and thin...  and as the town grew, further storeys were added...  Some of the buildings were 7 storeys high!  The buildings on either side of some of the closes almost met at the top - allowing little light or ventilations into those areas...   The inhabitants used to throw their rubbish (including the contents of chamberpots) out of the windows.  They shouted 'Gardyloo' - a corruption of Gardez  lui - loosely translated from the French for 'look out for the water'....     It must have been a hazardous thing to walk the streets in those days

What is amazing is that you can walk the streets of my home town and be looking at the same buildings (in some cases) as would have been there in the late 1400s....    Is it any wonder that I am proud of my hometown?  

It seems that most of the buildings which were damaged may have to be demolished - although some of them may have their facades saved.  Some of the buildings were not of great aesthetic merit - ie they were bars and clubs - but the fabric of the area has been disturbed - one can only hope that any restoration will be sympathetically undertaken.  

One thing we can probably be sure of is that it will take a long time - after all, they've been building the Scottish Parliament building for years - and last time I was down at the bottom of the Royal Mile (Canongate end), it was still a total building site....  Locals wags say that it should be given the nickname presently borne by the unfinished monument at the top of the Calton Hill, which is 'Edinburgh's disgrace'