The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service remains in attendance this morning at The Glasgow School of Art, O2 ABC and adjoining buildings following Friday night’s major fire.
Around 50 firefighters and nine fire engines alongside four high reach appliances were still at the scene of the fire in Glasgow city centre late into Saturday evening, concentrating efforts on all four sides of the buildings, from Dalhousie Street to Sauchiehall Street and into Renfrew Street.
There are no reported casualties and nearby residential properties have been evacuated as a precaution.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service was first alerted to the fire at 11.19pm on Friday. At its height, Operations Control had mobilised a total of 120 firefighters and 20 fire engines to the scene.
Group Manager Mark Gallacher, the officer in charge of the incident, said last night: “Crews are still on scene carrying out firefighting operations to ensure the fire is fully extinguished.
“Our priorities remain the same and we will continue to monitor the progress over the course of the evening and throughout the night.
“We will remain on the scene for as long as it takes and we are absolutely committed to preventing any further damage to surrounding properties and ensuring the area is made safe.”
The scene of devastation was visited by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon yesterday. She said: “It’s heartbreaking. The fire as I think everybody could see from the pictures last night has been a devastating blaze, much, much worse than the one that took hold of the Mackintosh building four years ago so the damage is severe and extensive.
“It’s actually quite hard to find the words, given what happened four years ago, the fact that it was so close to being reopened after the restoration that this has happened.
“My heart goes out to everybody associated with the art school but and I think this is an important point there was no loss of life last night, nobody was injured, sometimes I think we take that a bit too much for granted and that’s down to the speed of response and skill of the firefighters that we’re not mourning loss of life today.”
She added: “This is a very sad morning in the city of Glasgow. Glasgow School of Art is an institution that is loved not just by its students, staff and the people of this city, but by many around the world.
“First and foremost my thoughts are for the safety of people. At this stage it appears there are no casualties and I hope that continues to be the case.
“The professionalism and bravery of the Fire Service, and the rest of the emergency services, was once again demonstrated last night. This is clearly an extremely complex and large-scale incident, and one that is on-going. I would like to thank the emergency services for their continued efforts.
“The Scottish Government stands ready to provide any support that may be required, now and in the period ahead. I have been receiving regular updates and will continue to do so throughout the day. The Scottish Government’s resilience room was activated overnight and will provide any support necessary.”
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