Glasgow building fire closes Scotland’s busiest train station and disrupts rail services

The sun begins to rise over the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

LONDON — A major fire in the heart of Glasgow crippled Scottish train services Monday as firefighters worked to douse the blaze that destroyed a four-story building next to Scotland’s busiest railway station.

Glasgow Central Station was closed and all travel to, from and through the station was expected to be disrupted, according to rail operators. The station was to remain closed Tuesday, and it wasn’t clear when it would reopen.

The fire broke out Sunday afternoon in a vape shop on Union Street, next to the station. Flames engulfed the building, filling the frames of windows and shooting from the dome-capped roof.

Most of the building, which dates to 1851, collapsed as it burned through the night, leaving only the facade standing.

Paul Sweeney, a member of the Scottish Parliament, likened it to the remains left after the Nazi bombing of Britain in 1940-41.

“It’s been completely wiped out, destroyed,” Sweeney told the BBC. “The building is a gutted shell. It looks like something out of the Blitz.”

There were no injuries reported, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said.

First Minister John Swinney said that it was a huge relief nobody was hurt, but said that the damage was enormous, and disruption would be significant. He said that his government would provide financial support to help the city recover.

People standing behind a police roadblock said they were shocked to see the ruins.

“It’s just so sad,” Emma Reid said. ”It’s such an iconic building.”

A cafe, fish and chip shop and hair salon were among the businesses wrecked by the fire.

“We are absolutely devastated to confirm that the shop has sadly been destroyed in the fire,” Sexy Coffee said on Instagram, though it vowed to rebuild.