As one of the fools listening to Bill McHenry’s band last Saturday night at Henry’s Jazz Celler in Edinburgh, and although Bill McHenry deserves his title as the best sax player in New York City right now, the Edinburgh blaze was amazing. At about 10:30pm after piling out of Henry’s, you could actually see the sky alight in flames from the buildings on fire. A couple of hundred people stood outside and watched for hours and there where a lot of hugs and tears as well.

The bad news: the area has been sealed off as a possible crime scene. The Good News: An international relief fund to rebuild the eleven buildings will start next week. In addition the council has decided to retain the fronts of the buildings for rebuilding and it looks as though Old Town will rule yet again. I must say that overall it is a pretty horrific site, and today, what’s left of the buildings will be torn down. The fire trucks and police still have the area cordoned off, but shops and people are starting to open around the area again. I will truly miss the Bridge Jazz Bar, a favourite haunt for festival goers and residents alike, as it is completely destroyed.