Three years on: Cause of art school fire still unknown
A report revealing the cause of the fire that destroyed the Glasgow School of Art will not now be published until at least three years after the blaze.
The Charles Rennie Mackintoshdesigned building and the nearby 02 ABC concert venue were destroyed in June 2018 but fire investigators last week revealed their inquiry was still ongoing.
On the first anniversary of the blaze, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said it was in the final stages of its investigation but, now approaching the third anniversary, it has told MSPS that a fifth phase of a forensic examination of the remains of the iconic building is being carried out and an “approximate time scale for the clearance of the remainder of the GSA is late August 2021”.
“The Fire Investigation Report remains in draft form until such times as the forensic examination is complete and all evidence has been subject to further review and scrutiny”, wrote deputy assistant chief officer Alasdair Perry in an update to the Scottish Parliament’s culture, tourism, Europe and external affairs committee.
Last night, Assistant Chief Officer Stuart Stevens added it was “not possible at the moment to provide a definitive timescale for the investigation being concluded.”
It is estimated rebuilding will cost at least £100 million. It had already undergone a £35 million restoration after a previous blaze in 2014 when it caught fire again.
Joan Mcalpine, the MSP who led the committee, said: “One of my last acts as convener of the parliamentary committee was to meet the new GSA director Penny Macbeth and I was encouraged to hear that she is leading a ‘lessons learned’ exercise looking at both the 2014 and 2018 fires, improving communications including with the local community and carefully evaluating options for the site. This is in line with recommendations made by the committee.
“It is disappointing that, due to the pandemic, progress has been so slow. To date, the parliamentary committee has conducted the only independent inquiry into the practices, decision-making and management actions around the fires. We are still of the view that a full public inquiry is needed to prevent another cultural tragedy on this scale and the committee legacy report published last week makes that point.
“The Mackintosh is vital for the promotion of Glasgow and Scotland and the decision on the future of the site and the ruined building should involve all levels of government, cultural leaders and the community, as well as GSA management.”
Glasgow School of Art said: “The SFRS has been clear that the investigation into cause of the 2018 fire is very complex. We continue to support the SFRS team by making sure they have access to any areas of the building they wish to examine.”