Hundreds evacuated in IKEA blaze

A long-distance view of the fire, taken by BBC News Online reader Robin MacPherson

Hundreds of people were evacuated from an IKEA store on the outskirts of Edinburgh after a blaze nearby.

The fire started in a derelct building behind the warehouse store at about 1630 BST on Sunday.

Shoppers were asked to leave the shop as smoke billowed from the other building, approximately 250 yards away.

A Lothian and Borders police spokesman said the alarm had been triggered by the smoke but nobody had been injured as a result of the fire.

Flurry of calls

Firefighters rushed to the scene after receiving a flurry of 999 calls from members of the public.

They brought the flames under control in just over an hour.

A Lothian and Bordes Fire Brigade spokesman said: "The building was already in a state of collapse, having there previously been a fire at it.

"At this stage there does not appear to be any suspicious circumstances."

The nearby A701 Edinburgh-Penicuik road was closed from the start of Loanhead to the turn-off for Bilston Glen Industrial Estate for around two-and-a-half hours to allow fire vehicles access.

The store lies alongside the Edinburgh City bypass and was the Swedish company's first store in Scotland.