Glasgow School of Art’s Mackintosh building has been devastated by fire for the second time in four years.
The fire, which began late on Friday night, spread to all floors of the landmark building which was in its final stages of refurbishment following a previous fire just over four years ago.
The fire is now under control and there are no reports of fatalities.
— blair (@bl4irrr) June 16, 2018
Speaking to The Guardian earlier today, Iain Bushell, a deputy chief officer with the Scottish fire and rescue service (SFRS), said: “There are a few hotspots and we can still see flames. It’s difficult to reach because it is such a large building and we are only firefighting from the outside because of the risk of collapse of structural elements.”
The fire appears to have been much bigger than in 2014 and the entire roof of the building has been destroyed.
External stonework on the building, which is regarded as Glasgow architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s masterpiece, is also reported to have been extensively damaged by the fire.
The fire was spotted at 11.15pm by a passing police officer and the SFRS has said that more than 120 fire fighters and 20 appliances were used to tackle the extensive blaze, which also spread to a neighbouring gig venue.
Much of nearby Sauchiehall Street is currently closed to the public and the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA), with entrances on Sauchiehall Street and Scott Street, which borders the Mackintosh building, is also closed.
The building was in the final stages of its major restoration following the 2014 fire and was scheduled to open to undergraduate students in 2019.
16.06.18 Assisted @GreaterGlasgPol @fire_scot by providing images of the damage to Glasgow School of Art and surrounding buildings. Road closures will be in place throughout the day. pic.twitter.com/3AIpi9xRdf
— PoliceScotlandAir (@polscotair) June 16, 2018
