Firefighters were tackling three major fires in the space of 75 minutes in Edinburgh last night.
In the worst incident, two floors of Khushi's Indian restaurant in Victoria Street, part of the capital's historic Old Town, was wiped out by fire.
Hundreds were evacuated from bars, nightclubs, flats and offices in Victoria Street after firefighters were alerted at around 8.15pm. They included more than 100 diners from the restaurant as witnesses described flames as high as 20ft shooting from the roof of the landmark building.
The roof of Khushi's partially collapsed and the blaze was thought to be under control shortly after 10pm. Firefighters were still checking over the remains of the building for any hidden fires at midnight.
It is understood the Finnegan's Wake Irish pub and the Liquid Room basement venue below Khushi's were also damaged by the blaze. The Liquid Room was understood to have been empty when the fire broke out.
Victoria Street was cordoned off while fire crews tried to bring the blaze under control in what was a former church.
Ambulance staff said they had vehicles at the scene but no-one had been taken to hospital.
Firefighters were also alerted to deal with a fire in a cellar in the city centre's Frederick Street at 9pm while further crews also attended a smaller blaze at a sheltered housing complex Moredun Park Street in the south of Edinburgh half an hour later.
The Frederick Street fire resulted in seven people being evacuated from flats above the cellar. Around 30 firefighters tackled the blaze and Edinburgh had to call for cover from neighbouring fire services.
Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service chief fire officer Brian Allaway said: "Tonight was a very difficult night for the fire and rescue service with major incidents in the centre of Edinburgh, whilst at the same time dealing with a number of others throughout the area.Throughout this testing evening our firefighters and emergency control staff carried out their duties in an exemplary and professional manner."
Khushi's, which celebrated its 60th birthday last year, is less than half a mile from the site of the 2002 Cowgate fire, which also started above a nightclub, and destroyed a number of historic buildings.
Eyewitness James O'Brien, 28, said that flames had been shooting about 20ft out of the roof of Khushi's.
He added: "There were apartments with their lights on which had all been evacuated. Everyone was standing around outside talking on their mobile phones and saying how they could not believe what had happened."
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