Dozens of businesses in central Edinburgh remained closed following a large fire in a derelict former department store in Princes Street.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said 50 firefighters had contained the blaze to the former Debenhams store and prevented further damage to neighbouring buildings.

Firefighters will remain at the scene for some time as they continue to dampen down hotspots and support partner agencies. Ten people were evacuated from a property in Rose Street and taken to a nearby Premier Inn.

Road closures remain in place and drivers and pedestrians are asked to avoid the area where possible.

SFRS is working closely with partner agencies, including Police Scotland and the City of Edinburgh Council, to assess the stability of the affected building and any ongoing impact on the local area.

A preliminary joint investigation with Police Scotland into the cause of the fire is underway. At this early stage, SFRS said it could not speculate on the circumstances surrounding the incident.

SFRS deputy assistant chief officer Willie Pollard said: “This has been a complex and challenging incident in a busy city centre location.

“Crews worked in demanding conditions to bring the fire under control and successfully contain it to the affected building, which was undergoing construction works and has suffered extensive damage.

“Their actions helped prevent the spread of fire to neighbouring buildings and significantly reduced the wider impact of this incident.

While the fire has now been extinguished, firefighters will remain on scene as we continue to support recovery operations alongside our multi-agency partners.

“I would also like to thank Police Scotland, the City of Edinburgh Council and all partner agencies for their continued support, as well as members of the public and local community for their patience and understanding while this incident is brought to a safe conclusion.”

Firefighters were called to the scene at 2.50am where the blaze quickly gutted the building, built in 1869 as the Palace Hotel and latterly occupied by Debenhams until its closure five years ago. Shop units in the building were also vacant.

Princes Street and Rose Street, which runs behind it, were closed, along with Frederick Street and Castle Street until further notice.

Retailers would have been expecting strong footfall today with the warm weather encouraging more people into the city centre.

Bus services were being diverted and trams from the airport are terminating at the West End stop in Atholl Crescent. Tram tickets will be accepted by ScotRail between Edinburgh Gateway and Edinburgh Waverley and on Lothian bus services between West End and Newhaven.

Debenhams closed in May 2021 and Legal and General planned a £50m investment in a 207-room boutique hotel and “hospitality hub”, but this fell through.

The 116,500 sqft building over nine floors was then bought by Criterion Capital, the development company headed up by billionaire Asif Aziz for an undisclosed sum.

He planned to turn it into a Zedwell hotel, which would be the first in Scotland. The neighbouring building has already been demolished.

The fire is the latest in a series of blazes in Princes Street. The Debenhams store was hit in 2021 and the former Jenners store was severely damaged in 2023, while the Palace Hotel, which relocated to the corner of Castle Street, was demolished after a fire in 1991.

Following work to stabilise buildings damaged in the fire at Union Corner in Glasgow in March, Central Station and surrounding streets will fully reopen ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

Network Rail Scotland confirmed the full station concourse will reopen on 13 July while the Union Street and Gordon Street entrances of the station will open from 17 July.

Only the facade of the B-listed Victorian building at the junction of Union Street and Gordon Street was left standing, but it was later demolished because of safety fears.