The authorities were alerted when it erupted in a building near the city’s central railway station, causing its partial collapse and the evacuation of hotels, shops and houses in the surrounding area.
It happened Sunday afternoon at a vape shop on Union Street. The listed Victorian building was badly damaged and partially collapsed several hours later as the flames spread.
Due to the incident, all services from Glasgow Central Station, Scotland’s busiest station, were canceled until at least Monday night. National Rail has announced that there is currently no estimate of when the station will reopen.
Fighting the flames for hours
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service urged the public to avoid the area while firefighters continued to put out the blaze more than 16 hours after the first alert. More than 60 firefighters with 15 vehicles are operating at the scene. No injuries have been reported so far.
A witness who was at the scene when the fire started posted video on social media, claiming the fire started in a vape shop. He said in his post that the store had no visible signage or company insignia.
😱 A massive fire broke out near Glasgow Central Station after an explosion at a vape shop on Union Street.
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv)
Business disasters – Hotel evacuated
The fire caused serious damage to businesses housed in the building. One of the stores announced via a post that it was completely destroyed, citing a “heartbreaking” loss after years of operation and support from the local community.
🚨 UPDATE: Glasgow Central Station closed after city centre blaze
More than 60 firefighters are battling a major fire on Union Street in Glasgow city centre, hours after the blaze was first reported on Sunday afternoon.
The fire broke out in a four-storey commercial building…
— Stef Spode (@StefSpodeUK)
Accordingly, the owner of a hair salon informed that her business was destroyed by the fire.
At the same time, the voco Grand Central Glasgow hotel, located at the station, was evacuated as a precaution and the guests were transferred to another hotel in the city.
Scottish First Minister John Sweeney said he was “deeply concerned” by the images of the incident and called on people to follow the instructions of emergency services.
