Second fire in 4 years at Glasgow School of Art
Last updated 22nd Jun 2018
A massive fire has ripped through the Glasgow School of Art - for the 2nd time in 4 years. Emergency crews were called out to the Mackintosh building on Friday night.
Nearby buildings have been evacuated as fire crews tackle the blaze.
Our senior reporter Colin Stone is on the scene:
More than 120 firefighters have been involved in the effort to control the blaze has spread to nearby buildings, including the Campus nightclub and O2 ABC music venue, which suffered "extensive damage".
No casualties have been reported, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said.
The fire crews have been pumping water from the River Clyde to douse the flames and have closed roads to set up pipeline through the city streets.
The Mackintosh Building had been undergoing renovation work after a blaze in 2014. It was due to open next year.
Messages of sympathy have been pouring in via social media for the Art School.
fire
Labour MP Paul Sweeny said on Twitter: 'The Mack restoration project, has been an incredibly innovative effort to restore Mackintosh’s masterpiece to life. I can only hope that the skills developed on it since 2014 will help to overcome this horrific setback. We cannot lose this building.
'The 2014 fire destroyed around 20% of the western wing of the building - a later extension completed in 1909, containing the spectacular library - with a further 30% smoke damaged. This fire appears to be much more extensive and affects the 1899 eastern wing of the building.'
The First Minister also tweeted:
Scottish Secretary David Mundell tweeted pledging the UK Government assistance to Glasgow School of Art:
The blaze has resulted in a number of closures on the following roads:
Broomielaw
Brown Street
Argyle Street
Douglas Street
Dalhousie Street
Closures also remain in place around the Sauchiehall Street area.
Police are urging motorists to avoid these areas. Further updates on closures will be provided in due course.