A major fire has sparked chaos for rail passengers and drivers after bringing Scotland’s biggest city to a standstill.
Glasgow’s Union Street was closed off after the blaze broke out in a building adjacent to Glasgow Central Station.
It caused the station to be closed and evacuated, while traffic was brought to a standstill in the city centre.
Thick smoke billowed through Glasgow as nine fire engines, along with police officers and ambulances attended the fire, which is said to have started in a vape shop.
The fire had been reported via 999 just before 4pm, and saw several streets closed, including parts of Union Street and St Vincent Street, while the large Voco Grand Central Hotel located inside the train station was evacuated.
Among the crowds watching the scene unfold was Yvonne Kelly, 51, from Rutherglen, who said: ‘It’s not something you expect to see. I first realised there was a fire when I was on Buchanan Street, and could see smoke – I was wondering what was going on. When I got closer, I thought, “this is going to cause chaos”.’
Ryan Dawes, 46, who works on Union Street, said he had left the building for a break when he became aware of the fire. ‘I saw people running past looking quite panicked, and a lot of black smoke – it looked quite dramatic.’
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: ‘We were alerted at 3.46pm on Sunday, 8 March, to reports of a building fire on Union Street, Glasgow.
‘At its height, nine fire appliances and specialist resources were mobilised to the area, where firefighters are currently working to extinguish a fire affecting the ground floor of a four-storey building. There are no reported casualties, and crews remain at the scene.’
National Rail said: ‘A fire at a building close to Glasgow Central station means the decision has been taken to close the station until further notice. No trains will run to/from the high level platforms.
‘Trains that run through the low level platforms can still run but will be revised to not call at Glasgow Central. You are advised to use Argyle Street station to use these services. We have no estimate on when the station will reopen. We expect disruption to continue until end of the day.’
Police yesterday afternoon warned people to avoid the area if possible, and said residents should keep their windows closed.
