December 9, 2002	Monday	Shawwal 4,1423

EDINBURGH, Dec 8: Firefighters said on Sunday they were winning their battle to control a huge blaze that ripped through the heart of Edinburgh’s medieval Old Town, leaving a number of buildings in the World Heritage site badly damaged.

But firefighters warned that pockets of fires were still burning within the complex network of business and residential properties in the area and it could be two days before all of them were extinguished.

Almost 21 hours after the blaze began, 80 firefighters were still tackling the flames.

The bill for the damage is expected to run into millions of pounds.—AFP