Detectives are investigating the cause of a fire that destroyed the roof of a newly-refurbished housing association tenement in Glasgow on Sunday, with police treating the incident as a matter requiring full inquiry into its circumstances.
The building on Stonyhurst Street in Possilpark, which had stood derelict for two decades, was in the final stages of a £3 million renovation project to create 23 affordable rented flats across three empty tenement blocks. The blaze broke out in a fourth-floor flat at approximately 16:50 on Sunday, 6 September 2026, with no injuries reported.
Glasgow MSP Paul Sweeney alleged that the fire was started deliberately, claiming it followed a wave of false claims circulating on social media that the flats would be used to house asylum seekers. Housing association NG Homes, which owns the block, has firmly rejected these rumours and reiterated that the properties would provide homes for people on its existing waiting list in accordance with Scottish housing legislation.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service deployed six appliances and a height vehicle to tackle the blaze on Sunday. According to local reporting, fire crews remained at the scene on Monday morning, with one appliance and one height vehicle continuing dampening-down operations.
What sparked the allegations about asylum seekers?
Misinformation circulating online falsely claimed the refurbished flats would accommodate migrant residents. In a social media post, Sweeney described the situation as
outrageous that a refurbished building risked being destroyed by fire in a socially-deprived community, and stated:
We secured nearly £3m in government investment to bring these tenements back and renovate them, so they can be used for the community in a city with a housing emergency. It was never going to illegal immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers – it was never intended for that purpose at all. So, anyone claiming that was spreading lies, misinformation, to generate clicks on social media, to whip up the community, wind people up and this is the upshot of it.
NG Homes issued a statement emphasising that
disinformation has circulated regarding the future use of the homesand stressed that
these claims are false. The buildings are being refurbished to provide much-needed affordable homes. These properties will be allocated in line with our allocations policy and Scottish housing legislation from our existing housing list. As a registered social landlord, we do not allocate housing to people who are not legally eligible for it.
How have political figures responded?
First Minister John Swinney told a national broadcaster that he had
seen the rumours circulating about the potential use of the flats for migrant accommodation. He added:
If there is any wilful fireraising involved that's a criminal offence and anyone involved in such activity will have to be apprehended. It is completely and utterly unacceptable for any accommodation in any part of Scotland housing anybody to be targeted.
Councillor Ruairi Kelly, Glasgow City Council's convener for housing and development, warned that
if this was a deliberate arson attack, then all that these thugs and criminals have achieved is to extend the wait that local people will now have for the house moves they desperately need.
What is the wider context for this project?
The Stonyhurst Street development formed part of a broader regeneration initiative for three empty tenement buildings in Possilpark, linked to the creation of modern, energy-efficient affordable housing. Glasgow City Council reported that, working with NG Homes, more than 3,500 empty homes had been brought back to productive use in recent years through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, which provided grant funding for refurbishment projects.
The fire incident follows a pattern of deliberate fires affecting properties across Glasgow in recent months. In August 2026, police investigated a deliberate car fire at a Glasgow-area garage amid concerns about a resurgence of gangland violence, and in July 2026, a car was deliberately driven into a house and set on fire in the Netherton area.
What happens next in the investigation?
According to local coverage, police and fire investigation teams are continuing enquiries into the cause of the blaze, with no public timetable yet announced for a conclusion. NG Homes said damage assessments were still being carried out and it remained too early to confirm the full impact on the renovation project's timescale.
Key Facts
- The fire destroyed the roof of a tenement on Stonyhurst Street, Possilpark, which had been derelict for 20 years and was undergoing a £3 million refurbishment to create 23 affordable rented flats
- The blaze broke out in a fourth-floor flat on Sunday, 6 September 2026, with no injuries reported; six fire appliances and specialist resources were deployed
- Allegations that the flats would house asylum seekers were dismissed by NG Homes as false misinformation circulating on social media
- MSP Paul Sweeney alleged the fire was started deliberately in response to the false claims, while First Minister John Swinney condemned any wilful fireraising as a criminal offence
- Police Scotland and fire investigation teams are continuing enquiries to establish the full circumstances of the incident
