King Charles has met with firefighters who helped contain the blaze at Union Street just over six weeks ago.
Frontline workers received the “honour” of a royal recognition at Dumfries House in Cumnock on Wednesday afternoon.
Commander Stephen Nesbitt of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service called the blaze the most “complex fire” he’s had to deal with in his 25 years in the force.
“It’s an absolute honour to be recognised by the King, and to come here and recognise the 300 firefighters who attended the fire”, he said.
STV News“And, obviously, we owe a lot to fire service colleagues in our operational support room.
“It was very difficult and challenging. As you can see, and obviously in the video footage, the fire was pretty quick.
“I’ve been in the fire service for almost 25 years, and that is, without a doubt, the most complex fire I’ve dealt with. It was obviously very complex in terms of the building, layout, and infrastructure we’re trying to protect.”
STV NewsPeople on the street watched as a piece of the city’s history went up in flames on March 8.
The blaze broke out in a vape shop on Union Street near Central Station, tearing through a Victorian-era building that has since been demolished.
Nobody was injured in the fire, and it was contained to the one building.
Although Glasgow Central Station next door came away unscathed, there were days of disruption, and dozens of businesses were affected and lost.
A careful and complex operation was also launched to get Scotland’s busiest railway station back up and running.
More than a month-and-a-half on, the fire-hit building has been demolished, but the area’s still shut off, with work continuing to make it safe.
STV News“Containing the fire was the priority”, Stephen added. “That’s why we had so many resources on scene. And what you probably don’t see externally is what was done at Central Station and at Grand Central to protect those premises.
“Just recognising all that work of those personnel and all the office staff and uniformed colleagues that work in the background, and obviously all the work for departments as well, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to come before the King and just be part of it.”
Back in Ayrshire, the King also met with local schoolchildren to hear about a project helping them create and care for their own school garden.
His Majesty was also presented with a Blue Peter Green badge in recognition of his work to protect nature and the environment.
Next week, the King and Queen will travel further afield for a state visit to the United States.
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