A massive fire in central Glasgow severely disrupted train services on Monday as firefighters battled to control the blaze that destroyed a historic four-storey building close to the city’s busiest railway hub.
Authorities closed Glasgow Central Station, with rail operators warning that all travel to, from, and through the station would face major disruptions. Officials have not yet provided a timeline for when services will fully resume.
The fire began on Sunday afternoon in a vape shop located on Union Street, adjacent to the station. Flames quickly spread through the building, bursting through windows and rising from its dome-shaped roof.
The structure, which dated back to 1851, burned throughout the night before eventually collapsing, leaving only its façade standing.
Paul Sweeney, a member of the Scottish Parliament, compared the devastation to scenes from the Blitz during World War II, when Nazi bombing campaigns devastated British cities.
“It’s been completely wiped out, destroyed,” Sweeney told BBC. “The building is a gutted shell. It looks like something out of the Blitz.”
Nearby areas around the station were cordoned off as emergency crews worked at the scene. Witnesses who gathered behind police barriers expressed shock at the scale of the destruction.
“It’s just so sad,” said onlooker Emma Reid. “It’s such an iconic building.”
Several businesses were destroyed in the blaze, including a café, a fish and chip shop, and a hair salon. One café, Sexy Coffee, said on Instagram that it was “absolutely devastated” by the loss of its shop but pledged to rebuild.
According to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, no injuries were reported, though the incident caused significant damage and disruption in the city centre.
