Glasgow City Council said the building had been damaged further since the initial fire
A historic building that burned to the ground in Glasgow city centre last weekend has collapsed further.
Glasgow City Council said the remaining structure had been damaged further since the initial fire, which gutted the building on Union Street, causing it to partially collapse. The fire began in a vape shop on Sunday afternoon before the flames spread rapidly across four storeys.
The neighbouring Glasgow Central Station was forced to close, with only some train services having resumed since the blaze erupted. Glasgow City Council have now said that what is left of the Victorian structure is “seriously compromised,” the Daily Record reports.
Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.
Raymond Barlow, head of building standards in the city, said: “Since the early part of the fire in Union Street, and as part of the wider programme of assistance to the fire service, my staff have been on site trying to view the building and view the damage.
“As everyone will realise, there was a catastrophic collapse during the height of the fire, with the front facade coming down.
“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.
“What this means is that what remains now in place is seriously compromised but as the fire service colleagues are still fully in charge of the site, we can only get access to a limited extent.”
The lower level of Glasgow’s Central station has begun running services again but authorities say the main part of the station will remain closed for the rest of the week. Network Rail engineers are due to make a structural assessment to determine whether there has been any damage to the station.
Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney said the damage from the fire was “enormous” and that there will be “significant disruption” for the travelling public and around the city centre. He also pledged to support the “numerous” businesses affected by the blaze.
