Home after city blaze
GARNETHILL residents affected by the fireravaged Mackintosh building will finally be able to return home today.
On Saturday, several businesses were allowed access to their properties. Angelo Varese, who owns the Blue Lagoon, opened the door to a smell of mouldy potatoes.
GARNETHILL residents affected by the fire-ravaged Mackintosh building will finally be able to return home today.
The residents were prohibited from re-entering their properties after a blaze ripped through the Glasgow School of Art (GSA) on June 15.
Following their evacuation, they were unable to collect items including passports, car keys, medicines, laptops and clothes.
On Saturday, the cordon was lifted on the south side of Sauchiehall Street allowing businesses and residents to access properties for the first time in 10 weeks.
Although some residents in Dalhousie Street were given controlled access for 30 minutes, others were informed they would have to wait.
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council confirmed yesterday that full access was due to be given at 9.30am today.
They added: “Additional refuse collections have been put in place for the area to support any clearing out work undertaken by businesses and residents.”
On Saturday, Glasgow City Council officials opened a path on Sauchiehall Street to allow people to filter through.
Angelo Varese, who owns the Blue Lagoon fish and chip shop in the area, opened the door to be met with an overpowering smell of mouldy potatoes.
He said: “It’s horrible, there’s a lot of rotting food, sacks of potatoes, made worse by the warm weather.
“A lot of food will have to be dumped and there’s a big cleaning job, but we hope to open as soon as possible.”
Newsagent Asif Bashir opened his shop door to find pre-packaged sandwiches with expiration dates that passed weeks ago and bins unemptied.
And the kitchen at neighbouring restaurant Antipasti was said to be “filthy”.
Margaret Gulline, who has managed the restaurant for 20 years, said it was “not pleasant” when she opened up: “I’m glad that we’re in – it’s been a long 10 weeks – but there was feathers all over the floor, and dirt. We’re thinking something has got in, but we can’t find it.”
Residents said their properties were infested by flies and their fridges full of rotting food. Many will not return to the area, having signed new lease agreements elsewhere in the city, leaving landlords out of pocket.
A council spokesman said three-metre metal pins had been inserted into the side of the Mackintosh building at Dalhousie Street to stop the wall collapsing.
Residents and business owners affected by the cordon met earlier last week to discuss legal action as they said saving the building has been put before people’s needs.
Solicitors at Govan Law Centre said it is looking at potential cases over the “abysmal” treatment residents and business owners.