Firefighters have remained at the scene throughout the night following a significant fire at a three-storey abandoned building in Glasgow's city centre. Emergency services were alerted to the incident on Sauchiehall Street at approximately 01:36, prompting a substantial response from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS).
The fire has resulted in major disruptions to traffic in the area. Sauchiehall Street is currently closed between Pitt Street and Douglas Street, while Police Scotland has also implemented closures on Renfrew Street at Scott Street and Dalhousie Street. Authorities have urged members of the public to avoid the affected area.
The SFRS deployed considerable resources to tackle the blaze, mobilising nine appliances, one height appliance and three specialist resources to the scene. An SFRS spokesperson confirmed that
there are no reported casualties at this time and crews remain in attendance.
History of major fires in the area
The incident adds to a troubling pattern of significant fires that have affected Glasgow's city centre in recent years. The Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed Glasgow School of Art fell victim to devastating fires on two separate occasions, in 2014 and again in 2018. The second fire proved particularly destructive, simultaneously destroying the adjacent O2 ABC venue, a historic building that had operated under various names since 1875.
Sauchiehall Street itself has experienced multiple fire incidents. Victoria's, a popular nightclub housed in a listed building on the street, was destroyed by fire in 2018 in an incident attributed to an electrical fault. Earlier, in 2004, the Shack nightclub, located in a 19th-century building, was completely destroyed by fire.
