Work begins to demolish historic block in Glasgow after it was gutted in devastating vape shop fire… with workers removing one brick at a time
Work begins to demolish historic block in Glasgow after it was gutted in devastating vape shop fire… with workers removing one brick at a time
Demolition of a Glasgow landmark, the Union Corner building, has commenced following a catastrophic fire that reduced it to ruins. The operation involves careful dismantling of the structure, with workers systematically removing bricks from the remains.
Three workers, hoisted over 150 feet into the air by a crane, began the meticulous process of dismantling what’s left of the B-listed structure. The fire, which started in a vape shop, caused the entire building on Union Street to collapse, leaving onlookers in shock during the incident on Sunday.
Officials confirmed that the fire’s damage was confined to a small office on the Union Street side of the transport hub. While low-level services resumed earlier this week, the upper portion of the station remains closed. Glasgow City Council emphasized that the ‘very unstable’ Victorian building continues to collapse, necessitating its removal for public safety.
“We understand how disruptive this is for passengers and the wider city centre. Any phased reopening will depend on demolition progressing to a stage that allows our engineers to safely return,” said Ross Moran, Network Rail Scotland’s route director.
Network Rail Scotland stated that demolition experts will work around the clock, contingent on weather conditions, to eliminate the dangerous remnants. The main part of Glasgow Central Station, Scotland’s busiest railway hub, is expected to stay closed until at least Wednesday.
“The structure where the fire was is now very unstable. It has no structural integrity. There’s a kind of a floating chimney stack that’s attached to the top of the wall. So, this is an unstable, dangerous site,” explained Susan Aitken, Glasgow City Council’s leader. She added, “It is going to take us a wee while to recover, but what I want to assure all Glaswegians, and indeed everybody that uses Central station, is that we will work as fast as we possibly can to get back to normality and then to rebuild and regenerate Union Street and Gordon Street.”
Despite the intensity of the blaze, no firefighters or members of the public were injured. Assistant chief officer Jon Henderson, director of prevention at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, praised the response: “This was an incredibly challenging and complex incident which called upon resources and expertise from across the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. We are extremely proud of our staff and incredibly thankful to our partners for helping to bring this incident to a safe conclusion.”
The fire spread rapidly through the building and around the corner, with only the facade at the Gordon Street intersection remaining intact. Over 200 firefighters worked tirelessly to contain the blaze, ultimately saving the station from further destruction. The site was formally transferred to the city council’s control earlier this week, with the structure cordoned off to prevent public risk.
