Edinburgh Cowgate fire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Cowgate. (Discuss) |
The Edinburgh Cowgate fire was a fire in a nightclub in Cowgate, Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2002 A.D.
At eight o'clock on the evening of December 7, 2002, a fire started above a nightclub in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, part of the city's World Heritage Site. It quickly took hold, spreading to buildings on the South Bridge, which spans the Cowgate, lighting up the sky for miles around, and blanketing the city with acrid smoke. The fire was difficult to control as it spread through the uncharted vaults beneath the South Bridge. Fortunately, the fire claimed no lives, but nonetheless destroyed many buildings, including much of the University of Edinburgh's School of Informatics and a venue for the Edinburgh Fringe.
19 fire crews in total attended the blaze when it was it its height, the majority from Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade. It took over a day to bring the fire completely under control, and is the largest incident of its kind in living memory in Edinburgh.
Two main transport arteries, the Cowgate and South Bridge, remained closed for several days following the fire, leaving Edinburgh's transport system struggling to cope.
The University researchers and students affected worked in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) The Edinburgh University was a pioneer in the study of AI in the 1950s and one of the world's most comprehensive archival libraries in this field was destroyed by the fire. Although little current research data was lost in the fire due to offsite backups, the loss of the library represents an irretrievable loss to the history of AI. The building itself is to be replaced. Since the fire, the School has been dispersed over a number of sites. In 2005 work began on a new building, the Informatics Forum, which will be occupied in 2007.
A major venue for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Gilded Balloon, was also gutted by the fire, leaving plans for 2003's festival relying on alternative premises.
The First Minister of Scotland has appealed to the UNESCO World Heritage Fund for money to assist in the redevelopment of the site.
[edit] Buildings affected
- University of Edinburgh
- School of Informatics, South Bridge
- Adam House
- The Edinburgh Fringe's Gilded Balloon venue and offices for both the Gilded Balloon and Underbelly venues
- La Belle Angele live music & nightclub venue
