Glasgow Central station remains closed after major fire and building collapse

Paul Sweeney, a Scottish Labour MSP, said the building had been ‘completely wiped out, destroyed’. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty ImagesPaul Sweeney, a Scottish Labour MSP, said the building had been ‘completely wiped out, destroyed’. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty ImagesFire, believed to have started in vape shop, gutted building next to station and destroyed shops, salon and cafeGlasgow Central is to remain closed until at least Tuesday after a building next door to Scotland’s busiest railway station collapsed during a major fire.National Rail said the station would remain closed with no estimate on when it would reopen after the fire, believed to have started in a vape shop in Union Street on Sunday afternoon.The blaze gutted the mid-Victorian Forsyth building that surrounds one corner of the station in Glasgow city centre, destroying shops and businesses including a well-known fish and chip shop, the Blue Lagoon, a salon and a cafe.Thick fire hoses snaked along Gordon Street and down Hope Street on Monday morning as two fire appliances continued to hose down the interior of the smoking building from high aerial lift platforms, aided by a light drizzle.The gutted interior of the B-listed structure was clearly visible behind its blackened facade. Thick smoke continued to billow from the ruins, passing across adjoining streets filled with police cars and fire engines.Streets all around the site have been cordoned off by police, some of whom wore face masks against the smoke, directing commuters and office workers unable to reach their destinations.There was no significant damage to the station but Network Rail said it would remain closed all day while the fire was being dealt with, as would surrounding streets, causing major disruption to transport services and commuters.Vape shop fire near Glasgow-central-station" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="41357" data-entity-type="location">Glasgow Central station closes causes major rail disruption – videoPaul Sweeney, a Scottish Labour MSP and a campaigner for better oversight of Glasgow’s architectural heritage, urged the fire service and the authorities to weigh up tougher inspections and regulations of vape shops.After the fire began, witnesses reported hearing explosions inside the building, believed to have been caused by the lithium batteries used by some vape devices that were stored onsite, with flames seen shooting from the B-listed structure. By late evening on Sunday, the fire had torn through much of the block, causing its dome to collapse.Sweeney said the fire had revealed a “massive blind spot in our regulation”, adding: “I watched the footage of that fire taking hold of the shop unit with increasing fury. How could a vape shop destroy 175 years of Glasgow’s heritage and numerous small businesses in a matter of 12 hours, and also disrupt the busiest railway station in Scotland for an indeterminate period? It’s just extraordinary.“It raises questions about the vulnerability of historic buildings to such lithium fires. When this building dates to 1851, it’s not been designed with modern fire protection standards. Why on earth are we permitting these highly risky retail activities to take place in extremely vulnerable buildings adjacent to critical infrastructure?”Firefighters damp down the remains of the fire next to Glasgow-central-station" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="41357" data-entity-type="location">Glasgow Central station. Photograph: Robert Perry/PAOne of the onlookers was a commercial estate agent involved in selling one of the properties behind the police cordon. Mark Jackson said numerous businesses in the area would be affected.“I do think this should lead to an increase in stipulation on vape shops. We see lots of them popping up and they are stacking thousands of pounds worth of stock that is not regulated,” he said. “It’s crazy what happened. We’ve seen fires but not to this extent.”Network Rail said west coast intercity services due to terminate at Glasgow Central would run instead to Preston, Carlisle or Motherwell, with travellers helped to find alternative train connections northwards.ScotRail, Scotland’s national train operator, said both the station’s high-level platforms would be shut, while trains using the low-level platforms would continue running without stopping at the station. In a statement late on Sunday night, it warned there would be “limited” rail replacement buses.“Unfortunately, we will not be able to operate train services in or out of Glasgow Central high level tomorrow following the impact of the major fire near to the station. Our trains which operate via Glasgow Central low level will continue to run, but will not stop at the station.“We are sorry to customers for the impact this will cause, and we would urge them to check their journey options before they travel, and we aware there will be very limited replacement transport.”TransPennine Express said its services would not run between Glasgow Central and Liverpool Lime Street or Manchester airport on Monday, while trains between Edinburgh and Newcastle/Manchester airport would be subject to delays and cancellations in both directions.The wider disruption also affected the closing night of the Glasgow film festival. A party to celebrate the closing film, the directorial debut by the Glasgow-born actor James McAvoy, was due to be held in the Central hotel inside the station. The gala event was moved to Sauchiehall Street after the fire led to the closure of the station and hotel.The Scottish fire and rescue service said that at the fire’s height, it had 18 appliances and specialist vehicles at the scene.John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister, said on Sunday: “I am deeply concerned about the fire near Glasgow-central-station" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="41357" data-entity-type="location">Glasgow Central station tonight and very grateful to all of the emergency services who are responding.“Please continue to follow travel guidance, avoid the area and stay safe.”