The Secretary of State for Scotland David Mundell visited Glasgow School of Art (GSA) on Friday, to hear about the impact of the fire.
Mr Mundell met with staff from the GSA who have been working round the clock to ensure that the academic work of the institution can continue despite the devastating fire. He then went up to the site to see the Mackintosh Building. Mr Mundell had previously visited the building three weeks ago, when he saw the restoration of the building after the fire in 2014.
Speaking after his visit, Mr Mundell said: “Today I visited the site of the Glasgow School of Art fire. It’s a scene of devastation, utterly shocking to behold. Having seen the splendour of the painstakingly refurbished building just two weeks ago, it is an absolutely heartbreaking sight.
“My sincere thanks go to the fire service personnel who fought so hard to ensure no lives were lost and the damage was not even worse.
“Today I also met the School Director, Professor Inns, and several of his team. Their love of this architectural masterpiece is clear, and their resilience and optimism in the face of this terrible tragedy is impressive. I share their conviction that the Mack will one day rise again in all its glory. It is still early stages in properly assessing the damage, but we all hope the building can be saved, and the UK Government stands ready to help.”
Professor Tom Inns, Director of The Glasgow School of Art said: “The Glasgow School of Art is hugely appreciative of the support that we have received from the Secretary of State since the fire and for his visit today.
“Only three weeks ago I was able to show Mr Mundell round the interiors of the Mackintosh Building to see the tremendous work which was being undertaken by our teams of skilled craftsmen, so it is particularly poignant to return with him to the site with him today.”
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have now handed the site over to Glasgow City Council. The team from GCC Building control is working with the Glasgow School of Art, expert structural engineers, David Narro Associates, and Historic Environment Scotland to assess the structural integrity of the building.
At its height, more than 120 firefighters and 20 fire engines were mobilised to Glasgow city centre after the alarm was raised at 11.19pm on Friday, June 15, and Chief Officer Alasdair Hay thanked the crews for their outstanding work during a visit to the scene (above).
He said: “I would just like to say what an outstanding job, how proud I am and what a professional service the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is.
“And they can’t do that job without the incredible support they have had from our control room and also from other partners, Police Scotland, Scottish Ambulance Service, Salvation Army and Glasgow City Council.
“Well done under extremely difficult circumstances.”
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