Restalrig Road fire claims one victim

A 37-year-old man has died after being rescued by firefighters from a fire in a block of flats at Restalrig Road in Edinburgh in the early hours of this morning.

Another man, aged 64, was rescued from the property and taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.

The alarm was raised minutes before 4am by a police officer who noticed smoke issuing from the second floor window of a flat.

A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service said:

“We were called to a report of smoke coming from a second floor flat on Restalrig Road at 3:54 am.

“Tragically a 37 year old man who was removed from the property was pronounced dead. A man aged 64 was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary suffering from smoke inhalation.

“There were 27 firefighters at the scene, six firefighters in breathing apparatus used a high-pressure hose reel to extinguish the blaze. An investigation into the cause of the fire is now underway.”