Massive Fire in 19th Century Building Battled by Scotland Firefighters
Neil Pooran and Lucinda Cameron
PA Media/dpa
(TNS)
London — Fire crews were still dousing a building next to Glasgow Central Station on Monday morning, as a devastating fire compared to "something out of the Blitz" caused major travel disruption.
Residents of Scotland's largest city were processing their shock after the 19th-century building partially collapsed following the blaze on Sunday night, including a dome which caved in.
Many businesses have been destroyed in the fire, which a member of the Scottish parliament compared to the devastation from "the Blitz" - the World War II bombing campaign by Nazi Germany on the United Kingdom.
Nearby hotels were evacuated and roads were sealed off.
On Monday morning, fire crews used aerial platforms to hose water onto what remained of the building, as smoke hung in the air.
Only the facade of the building at the corner of Gordon Street and Union Street is left standing.
People standing watching at the police cordon spoke of their shock.
Emma Reid, from Glasgow, said: "It's just so sad. It's such an iconic building. It's so sad."
Rumaisah Imrane, originally from Glasgow but now living in Edinburgh, said: "It's terrifying, it looks like the whole building is just gone.
"It's such a beautiful part of the city and Central Station is such a lovely building."
Carolyn Bowie stopped to watch as her son was one of the firefighters tackling the blaze on Monday morning, having started his shift at 8am.
She said: "It's devastating and a big blow for Glasgow."
National Rail said the station will remain closed with "no estimate on when the station will reopen" following the blaze, which started at a vape shop in Union Street before spreading to part of the same structure on Gordon Street.
No injuries have been reported in the fire.
Labour lawmaker Paul Sweeney said there are now concerns for the viability of the remainder of the building, which was gutted by the blaze.
He told the BBC public broadcaster: "There's the cafe, there's the Blue Lagoon (chip shop), of course, which is famous for many Glaswegians.
"It's been completely wiped out, destroyed. I mean the building is a gutted shell. It looks like something out of the Blitz.
"I spoke to building control officers last night on site. They don't have much hope that the building can be saved at all."
Network Rail said in a statement: "We expect disruption to continue on routes to/from/through Glasgow Central until at least the end of the day."
ScotRail warned of substantial disruption to its services and urged passengers to check for the latest information before travelling.
As of 6.45am, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said crews were still battling the fire with nine appliances at the scene, and people are urged to avoid the area where possible.
A spokesperson said: "Firefighters were mobilised at 3.46pm on Sunday, 8 March, to reports of a fire on the ground floor of a four-storey building.
"Operations remain ongoing and there have been no reports of casualties."
On Sunday night, First Minister John Swinney said in a post on X: "I am deeply concerned about the fire near Glasgow Central Station tonight and very grateful to all of the emergency services who are responding.
"Please continue to follow travel guidance, avoid the area and stay safe."
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