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Fire damages historic Edinburgh
EDINBURGH, Scotland -- Firefighters were still battling on Sunday to contain a blaze which has devastated part of Edinburgh's historic Old Town -- more than 12 hours after it broke out. The Old Town is the heart of the city and is listed as a World Heritage site. None of the damaged buildings was on the heritage listing. The blaze started shortly before 8.15 p.m. on Saturday night above a nightclub just off Cowgate. About 150 people were evacuated from residential and commercial premises on various street levels of the Old Town -- a popular thoroughfare for weekend revellers. More than 80 firefighters were still tackling the blaze on Sunday afternoon, and fire crews from areas around the city were drafted in to help. The firefighters were working hard to prevent the fire from spreading to other buildings in the area, including Adam House, one most historically and architecturally significant buildings in the city. More than 10 separate commercial buildings have been damaged by the fire, many of them gutted. Graham Torrie, senior divisional officer for Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade, said: "There is still a risk that the fire will spread to other parts of the complex of buildings on Chambers Street and South Street. "Efforts are being concentrated on stopping the fire from spreading to Adam House, which is used by the University of Edinburgh." Research work on artificial intelligence was destroyed at one of the university's bases for its School of Infomatics, an internationally acclaimed centre for research and teaching. The cobbled Royal Mile forms the spine of the Old Town, running from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse -- Queen Elizabeth II's official residence when she stays in Scotland. A network of cobbled alleyways, medieval courtyards and lanes branch off along its length, containing historic buildings such as St. Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh University, the City Chambers and the Royal Museum of Scotland. The brigade's senior divisional officer, Graham Torrie, described the blaze as "certainly the biggest fire in Edinburgh in living memory." Edinburgh City Council said structural engineers would assess the area once the fire had been extinguished before deciding whether any buildings needed to be pulled down. The fire operation has been made difficult because of the nature of the very old buildings which contain a warren of different premises, cover seven floors and are accessible from roads at different levels. Electricity, gas and telephones in the area have been disconnected. Several roads around the area have been closed and police have advised motorists to avoid the city centre. A police spokesman said the delays could last for several days. "It is still early days in terms of being certain that all pockets of fire have been completely extinguished and firefighters will probably remain for some time yet," he said. "Experts also need to assess the safety of parts of the buildings. Until that is completed and remedial action is taken the road closures will have to stay in place."
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