Fire service says 90% of structure of listed Charles Rennie Mackintosh building is viable

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The world famous Glasgow School of Art has suffered severe damage after a fire ripped through the listed Charles Rennie Mackintosh building.

The blaze, which appeared to have started in the basement of the building shortly after midday, was brought under control on Friday evening.

Witnesses feared that the whole west wing of the old building had been lost, including the irreplaceable Mackintosh library and the Hen Run, a famous corridor along the roof linking the west and east wing.

There is speculation that the fire broke out in the Charles Rennie Mackintosh building after a projector exploded in the basement. Photograph: Craig Watson/SNS Group

However, according to the Scottish fire service more than 90% of the structure remains viable and 70% of its contents have been saved.

The school was completed in 1909 and is considered by many to be Mackintosh's masterwork.

Students and staff crowded into the streets surrounding the art school in Renfrew Street, Glasgow city centre, at lunchtime as the fire took hold. Many wept and comforted each other as they watched the fire extend upwards through the floors, with flames ultimately billowing from the roof of the Category A listed building....Continue Reading

> via The Guardian