Car on fire in Edinburgh city centre

Fire crews arrived at the burning vehicle at the junction of Hanover Street and Thistle Street this morning between 8.30 and 9.00am.

A spokesman for the fire service said firefighters were in attendance with hoses and breathing apparatus but that the cause of the fire was not yet known.

He added: “Firefighters were called to attend a burning car in Edinburgh’s New Town at around 08.20 this morning.

“A crew from Tollcross fire station attended the incident. After extinguishing the burning Vauxhall Zafira, they remained to make the car safe and clear debris from the highway.”

Residents in the area spoke of hearing two ‘smashes’ shortly before the car exploded, while former council leader Donald Anderson, who works in a nearby office, tweeted that there had been a ‘loud bang and a heck of a lot of smoke’.