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| The Sauchiehall Street fire Photo: Max Crawford |
A massive fire took hold on Glasgow's Sauciehall Street at around 08:00 this morning, between the GFT and Cineworld Glasgow. It appears to have started in the roofspace of Victoria's nightclub and expanded into the space above the Holland & Barret health store. It is producing large quantities of potentially toxic smoke, so the immediate area has been evacuated.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has 15 fire engines and over 120 firefighters battling the blaze. No casualties have been reported so far. "This is an extremely challenging incident, but the response and professionalism of our firefighters has been outstanding," said Assistant Chief Officer Lewis Ramsay, who is in charge of the incident.
"This will be a protracted incident and crews will remain on the scene as they work to prevent further fire spread and damage in this prominent city centre location. We would urge the occupants of surrounding buildings to remain indoors and keep their windows closed due to the suspected presence of asbestos."
A spokesperson for the GFT told us that the independent cinema is open as usual and there are currently no concerns about visitor safety because the wind is carrying the smoke away from it.
Cineworld has been forced to close after becoming surrounded by smoke. We are awaiting comment from them.
