Firefighters battle blaze at old Royal Victoria Hospital

Image source, Karl Stark

A fire at a disused hospital in Edinburgh led to thick smoke being seen across the city.

The blaze took hold of the Royal Victoria Hospital building at about 16:20.

Firefighters used six pumping appliances and breathing apparatus to battle the blaze. They were still at the scene a number of hours later.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue spokeswoman said there were no casualties in the incident.

The fire was reported by a significant number of people as smoke rose from the abandoned building.

The Royal Victoria Hospital was closed in 2012, but later temporarily reopened to deal with seasonal demand.

Image source, Alan Harcus