fire guts Glasgow School of Art for second time

More than 120 firefighters and 20 appliances were called to tackle the blaze, which began at about 11.15pm on Friday and spread to a neighbouring music venue, the O2 ABC.

The grade-A listed building appears to have been gutted by the fire and had its roof and upper floors destroyed. Firefighters were unable to enter the building because of fears its walls might collapse.

The 2014 fire began when flammable gases from a foam canister used in a student project were ignited accidentally. A report by the SFRS concluded that old ventilation ducts helped it spread into neighbouring studios and upwards through the building.

The report also noted that a sprinkler system, designed to enhance existing fire protection measures, was in the latter stages of installation at the time of the fire, but was not yet operational. It is not known whether any similar system had been installed yet in the latest restoration.

Restoration work had been in constant progress since the summer of 2014, beginning with debris removal, then the salvage process conducted by specialist forensic architects, and the drying out of the building to guard against future difficulties with rot.

The restoration had been scheduled to conclude by the end of 2018, with undergraduate students returning to the building in 2019.

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Photograph: Rocco Giudice @81Rocco