Pollokshields fire: 'From that day until now, it's been a disaster'

Mima Jaffar and her children have had no access to their home

Mima Jaffar and her five children had to flee to safety in their pyjamas as a blaze destroyed a neighbouring tenement. A year later, steel barriers still block the entrance to her family's home in the Pollokshields area of Glasgow.

The only thing that Mima can remember from the night of the blaze was a fireman standing on her bed.

"He said you have a few seconds. He said there is a fire - just take anything that is important," she recalls.

"We were just allowed to go out with only our pyjamas. It was freezing cold and raining a lot.

"From that day until now, it's been a disaster."

Emergency services at the scene of the fire with water cannon

The blaze had started in the Strawberry and Spice Garden minimarket late on Sunday 10 November 2019.

It quickly took hold before destroying the 143-year-old tenement building on the corner of Albert Drive and Kenmure Street.

Since that night Mima, a single mother-of-five, has had no access to the home where she lived for more than 10 years as work continues to make the structure safe.

Her children have to make do without their clothes, computers, or important documents like passports.

Mima said they keep asking about getting back into the property to get their possessions.

Her eldest son no longer lives with the family, but his belongings are still in the building.

"He doesn't work, he needs me. He says: 'Mum, I need money, I need a jacket, I need clothes. How can I manage with one jacket?'

"And I say, I cannot give you money for a jacket, there are more important things."

Steel barriers surround the homes in Pollokshields

Mima described the situation as "depressing" and said she needs to be let back in again soon.

"I really hope we get a chance to go back in and get our stuff, because it's been really hard," she said.

'We have had to reset our lives'

Tim Mitchell says the last year has been extremely difficult

Another resident, Tim Mitchell, lived in a first floor flat.

"This is not only my home, it is my workspace as well," he said.

Tim has been allowed access to his flat on two occasions in the months following the fire.

But being unable to collect his possessions and resume his work as a videographer has caused huge disruption to his life.

Shortly before the Covid lockdown in March, Tim was told it would be a few months before residents could be allowed full access to their homes.

"Now we're not even sure, but I think it will be sometime in the spring," he said.

"We're talking about 18 months (since the fire). It is just very difficult because many of us have had to reset our lives because of this.

"It's extremely difficult, and we need to see an end to it."

'People broke down in tears'

Councillor Jon Molyneux helped dozens of people in the aftermath of the fire

Councillor Jon Molyneux has represented Pollokshields for the Green Party since 2017.

He was at the scene the morning after the fire and helped dozens of people in the following weeks.

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"It's really tough," he said. "I had people who I spoke to in the immediate aftermath. They broke down in tears.

"It's actually symbolic for the community. This was an historic heart of the town centre.

"People want to see that it will come back and that there's going to be an opportunity coming out of this. People have had a hard year."

'We will continue to support the owners'

Work is being planned to repair the gable-ends

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said it was still in regular contact with the owners, their factors and insurers about the properties and the necessary repair work.

It said there was an ongoing process under dangerous building legislation in relation to the walls which had separated the remaining buildings from those destroyed in the fire.

"These walls have to be repaired before the adjoining flats can be re-occupied," he said.

"We will continue to support the owners as their plans progress with the aim of people getting back into their homes as soon as is reasonably possible."

Plans have been submitted to fix the gable-ends, securing the buildings that still stand and allowing residents the chance to move back into their homes. This process is expected to take another five months.

For now, the evidence of the fire will remain for another winter.