One person was injured while firefighters were dealing with a fire in Edinburgh’s Old Town

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A person was taken to hospital as Edinburgh firefighters were battling a major fire on the George IV Bridge in the heart of the Old Town.

Witnesses at the scene said the fire was coming from a coffee shop next to The Elephant House where J.K. Rowling’s early manuscripts of Harry Potter with a view of Edinburgh Castle.

Emergency services were called to the fire shortly after 6 a.m.

Paramedics said they had taken a patient to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

The public was asked to avoid the area as the city hosts one of the world’s largest art festivals – the Edinburgh Fringe.

Read more fire in Edinburgh’s old town

The Edinburgh Civic Association tweeted: “It is heartbreaking to witness another fire in the heart of Old Edinburgh. We hope no one is injured and our firefighters remain safe as they deal with this blaze.”

A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “We received a call at 06.39 today to attend an incident at George IV Bridge in Edinburgh with our first supplier arriving on the scene at 06.46.

We sent two ambulances, one of them an advanced paramedic and a special operations team, to the scene.

“We have taken one patient to the Royal Edinburgh Infirmary.”

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: “We were alerted at 6.18am on Tuesday, 24 August to reports of a fire in a building at George IV Bridge in Edinburgh.

“The Operations Department has moved nine equipment and two vehicles at a height to the scene of the accident, where firefighters are treating a fire that affected a number of properties.

The crews are still there.

Police Scotland said in a statement: “Our officers are currently assisting the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in dealing with a major fire at George IV Bridge.

“Please be aware that there are several road closures in the vicinity of the George IV Bridge and Candlemaker Row at the moment and avoid the area where possible.”

Pictures posted on Twitter showed plumes of smoke rising from a building on the bridge in the heart of the old city.

The fire is located near the site of a devastating fire that engulfed part of the Cowgit District in 2002, burning a large part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The fire was caused by a spark from a faulty fuse box and spread eight stories to the south bridge.

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