Glasgow School of Art fire probe to look at insulation

Historic buildings were devastated by fire this summer, with flames claiming famous structures in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Brazil

On June 16, the people of Glasgow woke to find the Glasgow School of Art ablaze for the second time in four years.

‘The Mack’ burnt to the ground as a refurbishment project was coming to fruition following the 2014 fire.

Kier Construction, which was in charge of the restoration project, has said a fire strategy, with a smoke and heat detection system and roundthe-clock patrols, was in place.

The cause is still being investigated by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

Part of the probe is looking at the use of flammable PIR insulation panels in the work.

In August, a fire gutted Belfast’s Bank Buildings, now home to a Primark store.

City councillors there will invest £1.25 million to help the city centre recover from the blaze. The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service is investigating the cause of the fire.

Meanwhile, funding cuts and poor maintenance were blamed for a fire that gutted Brazil’s oldest and historical and scientific museum and destroyed much of its archive of 20 million items.

Brazil’s culture minister Sergio Sa Leitao told local media last months’ blaze at Rio de Janeiro’s 200-year-old National Museum was likely caused by an electrical shortcircuit or a homemade paper hot air balloon that landed on the building’s roof.

He said the fire occurred just weeks before the museum was to receive $5 million for an overhaul that included a firesuppression system, the New York Times reported.