A major fire breaks out in central Edinburgh, with emergency services responding overnight to a blaze on or near Princes Street. Multiple outlets report thick black smoke and significant flames spreading through a historic building in the city centre. The fire is reported to start around 4am, prompting a large response from firefighters and other emergency agencies. One report notes that public transport is likely to be affected as authorities manage the incident and the surrounding area. Accounts also describe the blaze as extensive enough to gut the building. The Mirror and Daily Record highlight the scale of the smoke and the intensity of the emergency response, while the Daily Express emphasizes a major “999” response and the widespread impact of the fire on the historic structure. The reports frame the incident as ongoing, with crews tackling the blaze and the situation developing at the time of publication. One outlet draws attention to recent experience with a separate large fire incident in Glasgow, though it does not link the two events beyond context.