Hero of the Mack
Firefighter on tackling the blaze that gutted Glasgow School of Art
Ewen Macsween was part of a two-man team who pumped thousands of gallons of water into the burning landmark from a 60ft platform.
The 42-year- old was photographed getting as close to the fire as possible in dramatic scenes as the GSA’s Mackintosh building burned.
He revealed his crew from Springburn fire station first thought they were racing to a false alarm when they got the call last Friday.
But the dad said the fire was the toughest he’d tackled in his 13- year career.
Ewenw as paired with Barry Wood, 43, and took turns at aiming a highpowered cannon into the blaze which broke out at 11.20pm.
They told how the flames surged so high that they were forced to retreat on their aerial rescue platform.
It took them days to recover from a gruelling 10-hour shift at the blaze.
Dad-of-two Ewen, from Skye, said: “We all thought there was a mistake when we were told it was the School of Art.
“But when we made our way there, the skyline was lit up. It was incredible.
“It’s the hottest temperatures mperatures I’ve ever experienced.ed. It felt l ike we were battling a volcano.
“We could only spend a maximum of f 30 minutes in the e cage. The heat was so intense.
“There was a lott of explosions and the fire was burning. What you’re ou’re hearing is like a roar.” r.”
About 120 firefighters ghters fought the f lames in the second blaze to hit the Mackintosh buildingng since 2014, destroying £ 35million 5million of repairs. It also severely damaged the O2 ABC music venue. The cause i s being investigated. Dad - of - two Barry, who has 10 years serv ice, added: “We knew it was the School of Art but we thought, ‘ This can’t be right’. “It’s unique being in a cage above a fire. Sometimes there were surges and we had to back away. “The intensity was quite something. There were things crashing and falling. We were at maximum height and maximum outreach.
“We were as close as we could be because the appliances would have melted.
“It was an incredible effort. There were 120 men and by the end some were virtually on their hands and knees. They were black, filthy and soaking.”
Ewen was the first to climb into one of six aerial platforms deployed to help.
Their platform tackled the blaze with another deployed from the city’s Polmadie. Crews from as far away as Perth attended.
Ewen said: “We knew in a building that size, if the blaze is through the roof, you need to get above it and get a high volume of water on it to contain it.
“That sort of temperature saps you. The heat meant you had to turn your face away and put your visor down. I’ve never felt
It was an incredible effort. Men were virtually on their hands and knees
anything like it. For a long time you feel hot but all of a sudden it changes and you feel as if you’re on fire.
“That’s the time you get back and get some cool air around you. But you can’t stop or it will flare up again.
“At the height of the fire, you didn’t know how much water was evaporating before it even got to the fire. It takes you a few days to get over it.”
The pair finished their shift with a traditional cup of tea.
Barry added: “Everyone is sad about the building but from our point of view, no one died so you can take a bit of comfort.
“We were back there the following night. There was lots to do and hours and hours of labour to make the building safe.”
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service deputy chief officer Iain Bushell, who was in charge of the operation, offered huge praise to Ewen and Barry – and all of the crews who helped bring the fire under control.
He said: “Ewen and Barry were our eyes and ears inside the cage. They did a fantastic job. I’m incredibly proud of all the firefighters who were there. They are world-class. Everything I asked them to do, they delivered.
“There were unseen heroes, too. The control room received hundreds of calls while helping to organise the rotation of crews and ensuring we had resilience across the country. They were outstanding.”