What you need to know about the Princes Street fire
Is Princes Street open?
Yes, Princes Street reopened to pedestrians and road users on Saturday 28 August 2026. It had been closed since 9 July following a fire at the former Debenhams building.
Structural steelwork is now supporting the front façade of the building and trams are running their full route from the Airport to Newhaven. All city centre bus diversions have ended.
One lane of the eastbound carriageway is being used as a temporary pedestrian walkway while work continues on site.
What is happening on site?
There has been severe damage to the former Debenhams building, with much of the upper structure destroyed or damaged.
Since the fire, our focus has been on making the building safe, while aiming to retain as many of its historic features as we can, and getting Princes Street reopened as quickly as possible.
The complexity of the remedial work cannot be understated, with specialists continuing to work, mostly by hand, under extremely challenging circumstances. This is a painstaking process and will take time.
Work to secure and make safe the eastern gable of the building has now been completed. This involved reducing it in height and then supporting it with a structural scaffolding.
Some unsafe stonework at the upper levels of the façade has been carefully removed. This stonework has been stored on site for reuse.
Structural steelwork is now supporting the front façade and upper floors of the building. This was complex and challenging work which needed to be carried out from cranes.
The structural support beams that have been put in place on the site weigh around 300kg, while new vertical steel assemblies weigh around 800kg. The largest piece of stonework removed from one of the dormers (structural window feature) weighed approximately 1.2 tonnes.
Debris and dangerous material continue to be removed from inside the building and there may be some further works required to strengthen the remaining internal structure.
This is intricate work, and it needs to be carried out safely. Due to the unstable nature of the building much of the initial work was being done by hand from above, using a crane with operatives in a basket. The work required pieces of stonework to be removed individually, which takes considerable time.
The wind restricted when this could be done safely, with even relatively small gusts causing work to be paused. The safety of the people carrying out this work and the public is our priority.
Wouldn’t it be easier to just demolish the building?
This is not necessarily a quicker or simpler solution. Fully demolishing the building would be a complex operation on a constrained site and would potentially take weeks to safely carry out.
Support for business
Do any businesses remain closed following the fire?
No. All businesses on Princes Street and Rose Street have reopened.
What support is being offered to affected businesses?
We’re acutely aware of the effect this is having on businesses – both in the city centre and further afield – and our teams are continuing to offer one-to-one advice and support.
Non-Domestic Rates Relief has been administered to those businesses that had to close temporarily.
Plans are being developed for a communications campaign to promote those businesses and communities most affected by the disruption were also presented and discussed. This could also include resident and visitor spend incentives, events and other promotions.
This activity will be paid for from the Scottish Government funding announced earlier in August and would continue beyond the reopening of Princes Street and into next year.
In the meantime, the city centre and other parts of the city remain open for business and we're encouraging residents and visitors to plan ahead and check our website for updates.
What caused the fire?
The cause of the fire has not yet been established. A joint investigation by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and Police Scotland is ongoing. Read more at
Were there any casualties?
No. Thankfully, there were no casualties. We thank SFRS, Police Scotland and partners for their swift and dedicated response to ensure public safety.
Will the building be knocked down?
It is a B-Listed historical building. We’re trying to preserve as much of it as possible, but it is too early to tell how much can be saved.
However, the original Victorian staircase and the stained-glass windows memorial to former Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, at 111-112 Princes Street, have survived relatively unscathed. These two features dating from the 1880s will now be examined to assess if any further restorative work is required.
Who will pay for this work?
Under the Building (Scotland) Act 2003, we’ll seek to recover costs incurred by the Council in carrying out these urgent works from the building owners in due course.
The Council is incurring substantial daily costs at the site. Following the Council Leader’s meeting with the Deputy First Minister, and the announcement of the £5m support fund from the Scottish Government, some of this will go towards covering these costs in the short term.
Road closures and public transport
Are buses and trams running?
Yes, trams are running their full route from the airport to Leith and Newhaven. City centre bus diversions have ended and buses are running their normal routes.
The Council's role
Who is managing the response?
The response involves the Council, as a statutory authority, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Police Scotland, transport operators and other partner agencies to ensure public safety, manage disruption and support recovery.
What is the role of the Council in this incident?
Our role in this incident is as a statutory authority. Our priority is public safety, and we have specific powers to deal with dangerous and defective buildings (or parts of buildings) in the city under the鈥�.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Once the relevant structural and police investigations are completed and the building is made safe, responsibility for the building is given back to the owners.
The building is not owned by the Council; it is privately owned.
Does the Council do fire safety visits and fire regulation?
The Council does not conduct fire safety inspections under fire legislation, but it does regulate fire safety aspects of buildings through Building Standards, which includes compliance with Building (Scotland) Regulations and proper documentation and inspections during building work.
The Council is responsible for ensuring public safety in and around buildings when it appears that a building has become dangerous. We do this by preventing access to buildings and spaces, carrying out any necessary urgent works and by issuing notices to owners requiring further works to be carried out to make buildings safe.
Fire safety enforcement and inspections are carried out by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to ensure compliance with the鈥疐ire (Scotland) Act 2005.
Useful links
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