There has been major ongoing disruption at Glasgow Central Station, following a fire and partial collapse of a building on the nearby Union Street

As reported by BBC News, the fire is believed to have originated in a vape shop, which spread and took hold of a neighbouring B-listed Victorian building. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) was first alerted to the incident at around 3.45pm on Sunday 8 March, when it received reports of a fire affecting the ground floor of a four-storey commercial building.

Initially, six fire appliances and specialist resources were mobilised, but this was soon increased to 18 fire appliances and specialist resources at the height of the blaze, including three high-reach vehicles and a water rescue team.

Members of the public were advised to avoid the area as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze, while those living close by were urged to keep their windows closed as a precaution. Video footage captured at the scene shows one section of the Victorian building engulfed in flames, with fire having spread to the upper floors. Part of the dome on Union Corner was also damaged in the blaze, and later collapsed.

SFRS crews remained on site on the morning of Monday 9 March to dampen down parts of the building. A spokesperson for SFRS said: "The incident has since been scaled back, and nine appliances, including three high-reach vehicles, remain in attendance. There are no reported casualties."

First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, shared his gratitude to emergency services as they dealt with the incident. Posting on X, he said: “I am deeply concerned about the fire near Glasgow Central Station tonight and very grateful to all of the emergency services who are responding. Please continue to follow travel guidance, avoid the area, and stay safe.”

Railway services were suspended until further notice, with ScotRail stating in a social media post: “The Scottish Fire and Rescue service is still dealing with a fire in a building in Union Street next to Glasgow Central. Unfortunately, this means the station will remain closed tomorrow morning, meaning no services in or out of Central. We’re sorry for the inconvenience we know this will cause our customers, and we will provide updates as soon as possible.”

On Monday afternoon (9 March), Network Rail Scotland confirmed that the station would remain closed “at least into Tuesday”, whilst SFRS worked to contain the nearby fire and make the area safe.

“Once that’s complete, our team needs to inspect the station itself for any damage. As soon as we can share more news on timescales, we will.”

(Photograph by Network Rail Scotland)