Blaze engulfs Scots shop as fire crews scramble to scene and flats evacuated

FAMILIES have been forced to flee their flats after a fire erupted in the shop below.

Terrified residents were evacuated from the block while five fire engines fought to control the blaze at the Edinburgh Halal unit just south of the capital’s city centre.

Crews peered in windows after being raised on a platform as plumes of thick black smoke billowed around them.

Service chiefs say no casualties have been recorded.

An onlooker said: “I hope everybody got out okay.

“It’s very frightening.

“You could see the smoke from across the city.

“Firemen had hoses covering almost the whole road and were doing their best to put it out.

“What a terrible thing to happen so close to Christmas.”

Emergency services shut down streets around the affected tenement while they battled the flames.

Crowds gathered to watch as people came streaming out the flats above.

Buses and traffic were diverted while the blaze which broke out in the early evening was brought under control.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: “We received a report of a fire at a store on Gillespie Place at around 6.25pm.

“There are currently four fire appliances and one height appliance.

“It is currently ongoing.”