Woman arrested and charged following early morning tower block blaze

A property on the sixth floor of the building on Portobello High Street burst into flames on Tuesday morning.

Woman charged after fire breaks out at tower block flat on Portobello High Street, Edinburgh — Charged: The 48-year-old was taken to hospital and later charged following the blaze. Google Maps

20th Sep 2022

A woman has been charged following an early morning blaze in a tower block in Edinburgh.

Emergency services were called to the scene at a residential building on Portobello High Street at around 5.40am on Tuesday.

The sixth floor property in the eight-storey building burst into flames and six fire crews were deployed to tackle the blaze.

STV News understands a 48-year-old woman was taken to Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh as a precaution, and later arrested and charged in connection with the incident.

She was released from custody on an undertaking to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date.

A spokesperson for the force said: “Police received a report of a fire within a property on Portobello High Street in Edinburgh around 5.40am on Tuesday, September 20.

“The fire was extinguished by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and one woman was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh as a precaution.

“A 48-year-old woman has been arrested and charged in connection with the incident and released on undertaking to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date.”

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 5.52am on Tuesday, September 20 to reports of a fire affecting the sixth floor of an eight-storey block of flats on Portobello High Street, Edinburgh.

“Operations Control mobilised six appliances, a height vehicle and other services to extinguish the fire and make the area safe. One casualty was taken to hospital.”