12 Evacuated in Glasgow City Centre Fire

SFR crews battle 'arduous' basement blaze

A TOTAL of 12 people were evacuated from a block of flats in Glasgow city centre this morning, after Strathclyde Fire & Rescue crews were called to a basement fire in Argyle Street.

 The first call was received at 7.41am, with reports of a fire  at a commercial property . Firefighters from Cowcaddens, Yorkhill, and  Maryhill attended the incident and were confronted with a well-developed fire and heavy smoke in the basement and first floor of the property.

 On assessing the severity of the incident, the incident commander quickly called for additional resources and crews from Calton, Maryhill, Springburn, Govan and  Milngavie  also attended.  

 Firefighters using breathing apparatus and jets tackled the blaze, while  12 people were evacuated  from flats above the property as a precautionary measure. The fire has now been extinguished and thermal imaging cameras are currently being used to check surrounding properties for possible fire spread.

 Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Jim Doyle said:

 "On arriving at the scene, firefighters quickly led 12 people to safety from the flats above the affected building. Basement fires are, by their nature, arduous and incredibly dangerous. The crews who were involved in this incident did an incredible job in battling through intense smoke to tackle the fire in such extreme conditions to ensure it was extinguished as quickly as possible."

 A joint investigation into the cause of the blaze is currently being conducted by Strathclyde Fire & Rescue and Strathclyde Police.