Art school fire safety system ‘was on site’

Weeks away from being installed when blaze hit

A FIRE safety system at Glasgow School of Art was ‘weeks away’ from being installed when it was hit by a second blaze in four years, a safety expert has said.

Flames tore through the Mackintosh building more than a week ago, leaving the Art Nouveau masterpiece a burnt-out husk.

It had been undergoing a £35million restoration following a fire in 2014.

British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association chief executive Keith MacGillivray said a fire suppression system had arrived at the site – but would have taken ‘a few weeks’ to test and install.

He added: ‘The pumps had arrived the day before but they were in component parts, the reason being the area where the pumps would be fitted, along with water tanks, was quite constricted.

‘What they were going to do was put all the parts into the space and then reassemble the pumps there. It would have to be connected to water tanks and tested, so it was a few weeks away from being completed.’

Mr MacGillivray said it was ‘about the normal time’ for such a system to be installed – but added that a temporary system could have been put in place.

‘When you take in context that the project had been going for four years, it is a bit disappointing,’ he added.

‘Our main point is during reconstruction we recommend you should put in a temporary system, particularly with a building of such value.

‘In fairness, they had put in a temporary smoke detection system, as far as I’m aware, but they hadn’t done that with a sprinkler or mist system.’

The fire began at 11.20pm on June 15 and quickly spread.

Glasgow City Council said the walls of the building moved six inches as a result of the blaze and warned they could collapse ‘with no warning’.

A cordon around the surrounding streets remains in place. Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken has urged people to stay away from the sealed-off area.

Experts say the building, one of Scotland’s greatest architectural treasures, has been reduced to a ‘stone shell’ and warned restoration costs could soar past £100million.

The Scottish and UK Governments have said they are ready to provide financial support for reconstruction.