11: 46 a. m. ET — A huge blaze is confirmed to have started in a vape shop on Union Street and has partially collapsed the B-listed Forsyth building immediately adjacent to Glasgow Central Station. Unresolved is how long the station will remain closed and when train services will resume; Network Rail has said the station is closed until further notice.
Glasgow Fire Confirmed at Glasgow Central Station and Immediate Effects
More than 60 firefighters and 15 vehicles from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service were in attendance at the scene, a confirmed deployment size that escalated after crews first sent six fire crews and a specialist vehicle to Union Street. Dozens of train services have been cancelled and all services through Glasgow Central have been suspended, with the station closed until further notice. No casualties have been reported.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Network Rail: Unconfirmed Details and Initial Reports
Initial reports indicate there may have been a loud bang or an explosion near the shop that caught fire; this is unconfirmed as of 11: 46 a. m. ET. Still, eyewitness accounts and media descriptions in the area describe grey smoke and flames spreading into the four-storey Forsyth building, where four floors appeared to remain standing while a dome on the corner fell in during the inferno. The precise cause of the blaze beyond its origin in a vape shop on Union Street remains unconfirmed as of 11: 46 a. m. ET.
Network Rail Updates and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Actions That Will Decide Reopening
Network Rail has confirmed the station will remain closed until further notice and said it will provide further updates when more information is available; that scheduled reporting by Network Rail and operational updates from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service are the specific events that will resolve the timing of any reopening. Yet, confirmation of structural safety for the Forsyth building and adjacent premises will be required before services can resume, and those safety checks are pending while crews continue to tackle the blaze.
That said, separate confirmed effects on local businesses are already clear: the Sexy Coffee shop in the Forsyth building has been destroyed, and a Willow hair salon owner has said her business burned to the ground. Still, the full extent of damage to nearby Caledonian Chambers, the Central Hotel and other adjacent properties is unconfirmed as of 11: 46 a. m. ET.
If Scottish Fire and Rescue Service crews confirm the fire is contained and Network Rail issues a revised service statement, conditional on those confirmations some services could be reinstated after safety inspections. The immediate, confirmed next steps are further public updates from Network Rail and operational statements from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service; Network Rail has already said it will provide further updates as soon as more information becomes available.
