Evacuation as fire starts in basement

A BUILDING had to be evacuated after a fire broke out in a basement flat on Saturday afternoon.

Firefighters were called to Northfield Broadway in east Edinburgh after reports of smoke coming from the building. Three pumps were initially sent to the incident and crews forced entry to the lower level flats.

There was heavy smoke lthroughout the three-storey building but no obvious signs of fire.

Crews wearing breathing apparatus and using high pressure hose reels began making investigations, but had difficulty determining to find the source.

Throughout the afternoon the smoke increased and at one stage there were 50 crew and seven pump vehicles.

A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service said the source of the fire was eventually identified as a fuse box.