Glasgow's vape shop fire should be a wake-up call for all of us

The scene is one of devastation (Picture: Getty Images)

Like many Glaswegians on Sunday afternoon,I was preoccupied by the Old Firm Scottish Cup quarter final, as it went to extra time and penalties. 

Glancing at my phone afterwards,I noticed news reports about what seemed to be a minor shop fire on Union Street. It looked like it was under control. 

But,scarcely two hours later,I was watching in horror as the blaze erupted,engulfing one of Glasgow’s most beautiful Victorian landmarks: the B-listed ‘Union Corner’ – which has loomed over the city centre since 1851. 

My first thoughts were a sense of horror that people might be trapped inside,but thankfully it soon became clear that there had been enough time for everyone to get out. Then a deeper dread hit me. 

Although it looked under control at first,the fire travelled,seemingly feeding on stock inside the shop.

The fire ripped through offices,salons and other businesses on the upper floors and spread to the Gordon Street corner with its iconic lead dome. Eighteen fire engines battled it into the night but the human cost was heartbreaking,dozens of small businesses were destroyed.

Standing at the cordon in the early hours of Monday morning,I felt physically sick. Another indispensable part of Glasgow’s heritage reduced to rubble in a single evening.

Trading standards and licensing teams must be properly resourced (Picture: ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP via Getty Images)

I spoke to Dan Campbell,who lost the hair salon that he spent five years building up with his partner. Tattoo artist Scott McNally lost £30,000 of equipment and irreplaceable designs. Much of the famous Blue Lagoon chip shop,Sexy Coffee,a Shelter charity shop – have all been wiped out. 

As ever,Glaswegians stepped up to help,and over £150,000 has been raised thus far in crowdfunding. But no amount of money replaces the blood,sweat and tears these people poured into their dreams,making our city thrive, now gone up in smoke.

I feel a deep,burning sorrow,mixed with anger. This should be a watershed moment – much like the Glasgow School of Art fires should have been. There must be a complete overhaul of enforcement from a trading standards perspective and from a fire-safety perspective. 

The Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council must act now (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)

Unregistered,unregulated retailers storing hundreds of lithium batteries pose an unacceptable risk. 

Trading standards and licensing teams must be properly resourced,and pop-up operators cannot be allowed to cut corners. 

The Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council must act now – before the next powder keg explodes,with potentially life-threatening consequences.

We need to tighten up planning and licencing rules along with more proactive enforcement.

The takeaway from this tragedy is simple – public safety cannot be left to luck. We owe it to every trader who lost their livelihoods this weekend – and to every Glaswegian left bereft by the loss of this iconic landmark – to make sure a fire like this never happens again.

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