Residents still waiting to learn extent of damage to Lancefield Quay flats
- Published
Up to 30 flats are believed to have been affected.
Residents at a Glasgow block of flats, which was partially destroyed in a fire, are still waiting to hear if they can return to the building.
Lancefield Quay was still closed, more than 48 hours after fire ripped through the building on Monday night, forcing about 200 people from their homes.
It is believed that up to 30 flats are badly damaged.
Fire crews have remained at the scene, which is still deemed unsafe, and an investigation is ongoing.
The fire broke out at the building on the north bank of the Clyde at about 18:40 on Monday.
Sixty firefighters and 15 appliances tackled the "well-developed" blaze, and no-one was hurt.
David Currie, who is among the worst hit, said his flat was "totally destroyed" and he had told it could take more than a year before damage could repaired, if at all.
"It's unlikely I'll get anything back," he said. "I won't get into it for at least another year, two years.
"I've probably lost everything I have in it. It's just horrible."
David Currie has been told his flat may be beyond repair.
Mr Currie was enjoying a pantomime in Dumbarton with his family when he heard the news that a fire had broken out in the building.
After rushing back to Glasgow, he could only watch from across the Clyde as flames engulfed his home.
A self-described "musician but with a day-job", Mr Currie has lost all of his instruments and equipment.
"Everything I've got is in that flat," he continued. "It's not just the things that cost the money, it's the things you can't replace.
"Eventually you can work and buy another laptop, but you can't buy back the photographs and the albums and the memories."
He added: "I'm just trying not to think about that too much. The bigger thing is having somewhere to live."
The street outside the block of flats remains closed.
Mr Currie, who has lived at Lancefield Quay for four years, is living with his parents and expects to be there over Christmas.
Other residents were sent to a local hotel, where support finding alternative accommodation was offered.
Helen Johnston, who has lived at Lancefield Quay for six years, is hopeful that her flat may have avoided the worst of the fire.
"I think mine is okay, hopefully," she told BBC's Good Morning Scotland.
"It's horrible. I don't know when we'll get back in. I've got medication to get in there."
Factor meeting
Lancefield Quay residents helped set up a company to act as the building's factor about two years ago.
A meeting was held on Wednesday to update residents on when they may return.
Some people living in flats less affected by the fire may be allowed to return by the end of the week to assess the damage and retrieve possessions.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said there was still one appliance at the scene and a joint fire investigation was ongoing.
It is expected that control of the area will be handed over to Glasgow City Council in the coming days.
There were 60 firefighters on the scene at the height of the blaze.
Mr Currie continued: "I just don't understand how this sort of thing can happen nowadays. We've had high-profile fires in blocks of flats in the media.
"The lessons have to be learned and there needs to be something done about better fire safety and precautions. People have lost everything."
One senior firefighter said they did a "remarkable job in very challenging circumstances" due to wind and rain as they tackled the fire.
Roddie Keith, area commander for Glasgow, said it was a "very significant and complex incident".
The Clyde-side development was hailed as a "triumph of ingenuity" when it was built in 1989.
The blaze destroyed part of the building's roof.
The property was an award-winning 1980s conversion of a quayside transit store, originally built in 1947, into 92 flats and maisonettes.
The Lancefield Quay flats opened in 1989 as part of an urban renewal plan by house builders Wimpey and were described as a "triumph of ingenuity".
- Published9 December 2019
- Published10 December 2019
