Blazes in historic buildings bear ‘striking similarity’ to city fires
RECENT fires in landmark historic buildings in Liverpool and Belfast show striking similarities to the Victoria’s and Glasgow School of Art blazes in Glasgow according to experts.
At the weekend, the Art Deco former Littlewoods Pools building in Liverpool, which had been vacant for more than 10 years, went up in flames.
In Belfast last week, a blaze in a Primark store housed in the historic Bank Buildings, which dates to the 18th century, took three days to extinguish.
Building experts at Glasgow Caledonian University said there are “uncanny similarities” with most recent devastating fires in Glasgow city centre.
They said in each case they were in heritage buildings under refurbishment or due to be redeveloped at the time of the blaze.
And the damage was so severe that it has led to doubt being cast as to whether they can be saved.
In the case of the Victoria’s fire, the block was gutted and had to be demolished.
Fire experts at the university said the buildings in the three cities had a high “fireload” meaning much timber and flammable materials in the construction.
They said buildings of this type are often of a design where there are cavities between walls and floors and ceilings which allow fire to spread more rapidly, causing more damage more quickly.
Professor Billy Hare, deputy director of the BEAM Centre, said: “The causes and lessons from this spate of fires will only be reached after careful investigation by the experts on the ground.
“But it’s clear that buildings left empty for considerable periods can often be at risk.
“There may be an accumulation of rubbish and debris which is an excellent ‘fuel’ source for fire.
“It may also be that unauthorised people can get access to the building and either intentionally or unintentionally create fire hazards.”
The academics said building refurbishment presents risks associated with ‘hot works’ involving naked flames, sparks and high temperatures.
They added that they are usually well managed by contractors, but work smouldering overnight might be missed.
The Littlewoods Polls building had been empty since 2003 but plans were under way for a redevelopment into a new cutural cnetre including a film and TV studio.
The Belfast Bank Buildings which housed a Primark
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The Glasgow School of Art Mackintosh Building was in the later stages of being refurbished following the first fire in 2014 when fire broke out for the second time.
Victoria’s nightclub in Sauchiehall Street was undergoing a refurbishment when it was destroyed by the fire in March this year.
Glasgow firefighters battled the blaze and fought to ensure it did not spread to the nearby Pavilion Theatre.