Remains of fire ravaged building in Glasgow city centre must be demolished

Latest updates

The remains of the fire ravaged building in Glasgow city centre will be demolished
A cross-Government Ministerial Board has been established to coordinate the Scottish Government’s response to the fire
‘Further collapses’ of building structure continued on Wednesday
Glasgow Central high level to remain closed for the rest of the week
The Scottish Fire Service remains on the scene on Thursday
City centre road closures reduced but remain in place
Glasgow Central low level services restarted on Wednesday

The remains of fire ravaged building in Glasgow city centre will be demolished.

Glasgow City Council is now in control of the Union Street site, and after a full and final assessment of the remaining structure, has decided that demolition must happen in the “interests of public safety”.

Further collapses took place after the devastating blaze near Glasgow Central Station on Wednesday.

Scotland’s busiest train station has been closed since a blaze engulfed a neighbouring four-storey building on Union Street on Sunday.

Watch
Watch moment LED screen collapses into burning building

Union Corner, built in 1851, collapsed, leaving only part of its facade.

Network Rail and emergency services continue to assess damage caused by the fire near the station.

Glasgow City Council said what is left of the Victorian structure is “seriously compromised”.

Raymond Barlow, head of building standards in the city, said: “As everyone will realise, there was a catastrophic collapse during the height of the fire, with the front facade coming down.

Remains of fire ravaged building in Glasgow city centre to demolished STV News

“Since then, working with fire service colleagues, we have seen there have been further collapses in the intervening period, the most recent of which was the southern gable of the remaining structure.”

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is still on site to take care of the remaining hot spots.

Network Rail said Glasgow Central High Level will remain closed this week until structural assessment work can be carried out.

A cross-Government Ministerial Board has been established to coordinate the Scottish Government’s immediate and longer-term response to the fire.

It will oversee the development of a support package to aid in the recovery process, the Government said.

“The fire has left a scene of ruin in the heart of Glasgow and I am determined that the Scottish Government will stand with the city as it recovers,” said justice secretary Angela Constance.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: “We were alerted at 3.46pm on Sunday, March 8, to reports of a fire affecting the ground floor of a four storey commercial building on Union Street, Glasgow.

“At its height, 18 appliances and specialist resources were mobilised.

“As of 5.21pm on Wednesday, March 11, one fire appliance remains in attendance. The high-reach vehicle has now stood down.

“There are no reported casualties.”

Police Scotland has reduced road closures and the cordon, with some still in place for public safety.

The fire started at around 3.46pm on Sunday and quickly spread through the 19th-century building on the corner of Gordon Street and Union Street, causing “enormous damage” and the loss of the building’s dome.

More than 200 firefighters were involved in the incident, with 18 fire engines and a specialist resource deployed to the scene at the height of the blaze.

Only the facade of the building has been left standing on Gordon Street. Network Rail Scotland

Network Rail said Glasgow Central will reopen “as soon as it is safe to do so”.

Route director Ross Moran said: “We want to reassure passengers that we are doing everything we can to open the high level station, but we must enable the emergency services and Glasgow City Council to complete their critical work to secure the Union Corner site and make it safe.”

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David Ross, ScotRail chief operating officer, said: “Following comprehensive safety checks, I’m very pleased that we will operate ScotRail services via Glasgow Central low level.

“However, Glasgow Central High Level station will not reopen this week as the impact of the fire in the building next to the station continues to be assessed by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Glasgow City Council.

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Union Corner in Glasgow was engulfed by flames on Sunday night

“We know this closure is causing significant disruption for our customers, and we’re very sorry for the impact it is having on journeys.

“Our teams are working hard to keep people moving where possible, and we’d encourage customers to check their journey before travelling using the ScotRail app or website.”

Glasgow’s Subway Network will be accepting ScotRail tickets.

Drone pilots have been warned not to fly near the site of the major building fire.

In a statement, Police Scotland said unmanned aircraft must not be flown close to the incident site while operations are ongoing.

Road closures

The public has been urged to avoid the area if possible and plan ahead for any journeys.

The following closures are in place:

Union Street closed between Drury Street and Argyle Street (vehicular and pedestrian)
Gordon Street closed between Hope Street and West Nile Street (vehicular and pedestrian)
West Nile Street closed between Gordon Street and St Vincent Street (vehicular only)
Mitchell Street closed between Gordon Street and NCP Car Park/Mitchell Lane (vehicular only)

Superintendent Jackie Dunbar said: “We continue to support partners with their response to this significant incident in the city centre.

“I would continue to urge people to be mindful of road closures, plan journeys carefully and to avoid the area if they can.

“I understand local businesses will have concerns, but our guidance is that premises out with the outer cordon area can be accessed and operate as normal.

“Anyone with concerns or questions can approach officers at the scene.”

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First Minister John Swinney, who visited the scene of the fire on Monday morning, said the blaze had caused enormous damage and would lead to significant disruption.

On Tuesday, Swinney committed to support the rebuild of the area, telling MSPs in Holyrood: “We will rebuild, we will restore, and Glasgow will flourish again.”

Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken said the incident could have been “so much worse” without the actions of fire crews.