Firefighters remain at scene of huge blaze and tenement collapse in Glasgow

Firefighters are still at the scene of a blaze in Glasgow that caused a tenement building to collapse.

Residents were evacuated as around 60 firefighters tackled a fire at the Strawberry and Spice Garden grocery in Albert Drive, Pollokshields, at 11.30pm on Sunday.

One man was taken to hospital suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation as crews tackled the blaze.

Firefighters were still at the scene on Tuesday afternoon carrying out an “extensive dampening down operation”.

Cordons remained in place around the area and some roads were closed.

Roddie Keith, Local Senior Officer for the City of Glasgow, said: “This has undoubtedly been a challenging and protracted incident that required considerable resources to meet.

“We will remain in attendance until we can ensure that the scene is as safe as possible before handing it into the care of our local authority partners.

“The continued response and support from the community has been outstanding and we must thank them for their patience and support throughout the incident.

“I would also like to recognise the hard work put in by our partners, other emergency services and the local authority and add my thanks to our crews for their efforts in bringing this fire under control.

“The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service will continue to work alongside our Police Scotland colleagues to establish the full facts and circumstances of the fire.”

Pollokshields Primary School, Pollokshields Library and Pollokshields Early Years Centre were shut on Monday following the blaze but were open as usual on Tuesday.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited the scene of the fire, which is in her constituency, on Monday.

She tweeted the “devastating” fire was a “blow to the whole community” and praised the skill and bravery of firefighters involved in dealing with the incident.