Fire-ravaged remains of historic Glasgow building will be demolished

The B-listed structure on Union Street has continued to collapse in the days since the blaze broke out on Sunday.

The historic building gutted by a fire in the centre of Glasgow will have to be demolished, the city council has confirmed.

Glasgow City Council said on Thursday that having carried out a “full and final assessment” of the Victorian building, which is next to Glasgow Central station, it is in the interests of public safety to demolish the remaining section.

The B-listed structure on Union Street has continued to collapse in the days since the blaze broke out on Sunday, including parts of the southern gable collapsing on Tuesday night.

In a statement, the council said: “We are now in control of the Union Street site, and after a full and final assessment of the remaining structure, our building standards team have decided that demolition must happen in the interests of public safety.

“Scottish Fire and Rescue Service are still on site to take care of remaining hot spots.”

The fire began in a vape shop on Union Street and spread through the building and around the corner, with only the facade of the building at the junction with Gordon Street left standing.

The blaze forced neighbouring Glasgow Central, Scotland’s busiest railway station, to close. The lower level of the station has begun running services again but authorities say the main part of the station will remain shut for the rest of the week.

John Swinney was asked about the blaze during First Minister’s Questions on Thursday, with Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay pressing him on what the Scottish Government is doing to support businesses affected by the fire.

Mr Findlay said the “inferno” that had “ripped through” the building had been “devastating”.

He told the First Minister: “The immediate focus must be on local businesses who already face severe pressure.”

Mr Findlay called on the SNP leader to set out to “struggling business owners exactly what support will be provided and when”.

Mr Swinney told him: “The Government is in active discussion with Glasgow City Council, who are gathering information from the affected businesses about their circumstances.

“I’m not in a position to say definitely what financial support will be available, but I expect to be able to do so very shortly.”

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar also questioned the First Minister on the blaze, saying cuts had seen the number of high-reach appliances (HRAs) the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service reduced from 26 to 16 across Scotland, and from six to two in Glasgow.

He added: “It is believed that both of Glasgow’s HRAs were not available on Sunday due to annual inspection.

“Why was that ever allowed to happen? It is believed that one had to be called from Edinburgh.”

Adding that “more than 1,200” firefighter jobs have been lost since the national service was set up in 2013, Mr Sarwar said: “We do not know right now what difference the reduction in fire service capacity would have made on Sunday.”

He called on the First Minister to “commit to an immediate investigation into any potential impact that may have had on the response so that lessons can be urgently learnt”.

The questions came as it was announced a cross-Government ministerial board has been established to co-ordinate the Scottish Government’s immediate and longer-term response to the fire.

The group, which will oversee the development of a support package to help recovery from the blaze, will be chaired by Justice Secretary Angela Constance.

Susan Aitken, the leader of Glasgow City Council, will be involved in meetings, along with various Scottish Government ministers, including Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes, Finance Secretary Shona Robison, Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop, Housing Secretary Mairi McAllan and community safety minister Siobhian Brown.

Ms Constance 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.

“There are the immediate issues of making the site safe and the recovery of the transport network, with significant ongoing work to return rail and road systems back to normality as soon as possible.

“There are also wider impacts to be considered and managed, not least the impact on affected businesses and the recovery of the site.

“The board will oversee the development of a support package to aid in the recovery process.”

While she said “undoubtedly this will take time” and will require a “significant effort across Government”, she added the group will “play an integral role to ensure the city can get back on its feet as quickly as possible”.