A WOMAN died after a blaze broke out on the top floor of a 14-story block of flats.
The fire, at Nisbet Court in Restalrig, Edinburgh, started just after 10.40 today.
The emergency services were alerted by a neighbour who noticed smoke in the landing.
Four firefighters wearing breathing gear tackled the flames and helped other residents evacuate the building.
They found her “unconscious and not breathing” inside the flat.
It is thought the blaze started in the living room.
The woman, thought to be 38-years-old and named locally as Caroline, was rushed to hospital by paramedics.
An investigation is now under way into what caused the fire.
Crews from Marionville and McDonald Road fire stations attended the scene.
The neighbour who alerted the fire service, who did not wish to be named, said: “I came into the landing from walking the dog and saw smoke from behind the door.
“I called the fire brigade and that was it.
“I didn’t know her other than her name was Caroline – every keeps their head down here.”
A worker at the Gulf petrol station next to Nisbet Court said he had seen the woman earlier today.
He said: “She came in this morning.
“She didn’t seem herself – not drunk or anything, just unwell.
“She went away and we thought nothing of it.
“Then about an hour later we heard the sirens and seen the fire engines.
“We just heard she died when folk came in and told us the news.”
