5-star alert at Rockstar North's Edinburgh HQ as emergency services respond to 'structural damage' caused by an exploding boiler

Seven Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) vehicles attended Rockstar North HQ in Edinburgh this morning, after an explosion rocked the building at around 5am local time. The fire crews spent around three hours securing the scene, with a cordon put in place around the building. No-one was injured during the incident.

"We were alerted at 5:02am on Monday, 19 January to attend an incident on Holyrood Road, Edinburgh," a SFRS spokesperson told The Herald.

"Operations Control mobilised three fire appliances and specialist resources to the scene, where firefighters worked to secure structural damage at a commercial building. There were no reported casualties and crews left the scene at 9:21am."

A Rockstar North spokesman said that the explosion was down to a "malfunction" in one of the building's heating boilers.

"Many thanks to those that reached out with concern, and also to the police and fire crews who were on scene quickly to assess the situation," he said. "Everyone is well and our studio remains open and operational."

Rockstar North is currently working on Grand Theft Auto 6, which is due to be released on consoles in November following two delays. The studio has also recently been embroiled in a controversy over alleged union busting after firing 30 employees working on the game, an ongoing dispute that even UK PM Keir Starmer described last month as "a deeply concerning case."