Glasgow School of Art: A timeline of two fires

It has been almost eight years since a major blaze tore through the world-renowned Glasgow School of Art.

Four years later, a second blaze took hold of the school's Mackintosh building, also causing major damage to neighbouring properties such as the O2 ABC venue.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has now published the findings of its investigation into the 2018 fire - which was so severe that all evidence which could have pointed to its cause had been destroyed.

Here we look at a timeline of events.

23 May 2014: Fire breaks out

The blaze began shortly before 12:30 as final year students prepared for their degree show. Many feared they had lost their work.

Muriel Gray, a former student and the chairwoman of the board of governors, said it was their "absolute worst nightmare".

Firefighters worked "flat out" to save the building, later announcing they had protected 70% of its contents and more than 90% of its structure was viable.

The fire began while students prepared to exhibit their last course work

Students and members of the public watched as firefighters extinguished the flames

Fire crews tackle the flames while positioned on a neighbouring building

25 May 2014: Library was destroyed

It is confirmed that the library in the Charles Rennie Mackintosh building was lost to the fire.

It was recognised as being one of the finest examples of art nouveau in the world.

"This is an enormous blow and we are understandably devastated," said Ms Gray.

The Mackintosh Library was destroyed in the blaze

18 June 2014: Star-studded fundraising campaign

Brad Pitt and Peter Capaldi lead efforts to raise £20m to restore the Mackintosh building.

Dr Who star Capaldi studied graphic design at the art school and Pitt is a well-known admirer of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

GSA estimate restoration work will cost between £20m and £35m.

26 November 2014: Investigation reveals cause

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service found that the fire began when flammable gases from a canister of expanding foam came into contact with the hot surface of a projector.

The blaze began in a studio being used by a student for an exhibition.

Voids in the walls and old ventilation ducts allowed the fire to take hold and spread upwards towards the library.

GSA director Professor Tom Inns said the fire was a "horrible accident" and a review would seek to learn lessons from it.

The fire started in a basement studio, similar to this, being used for a student's end of year exhibition

21 April 2016: Campus expansion plans

Glasgow School of Art announces plans for a major expansion of its Garnethill campus, revealing it is in talks to purchase the former Stow College building.

The target of the fundraising drive is raised from £20m to £32 to cover restoration and expansion costs.

A view of the mackintosh building before it was badly damaged by fire

28 June 2016: Restoration contract awarded

Kier Construction is awarded the £25m contract to manage the restoration of the fire-damaged building.

It would be working with a design team led by Page\Park Architects.

The team were expected to arrive on site during the first week in July, with the work finished by February 2019.

A view of repair work to top floor of the west wing of the Mackintosh building

September 2017: Restoration well under way

A full size prototype of the library is created before work begins on site in 2018.

Experts carried out two years of painstaking research preparing the ground for the prototype.

Specialist woodworkers used the same nails as the original - no screws or glue - to add to the authenticity of their recreation.

Master craftsmen Angus Johnson and Martins Cirulis in a full-size model of a section of the fire-gutted Mackintosh Library

15 June 2018: The second fire

Four years since the first devastating fire, another blaze engulfs the Glasgow School of Art.

The fire and rescue service says the damage to the building is "exceptionally significant".

Flames also spread to the nearby O2 ABC music venue, which suffers "extensive damage".

Stuart Robertson, the director of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society, said the second fire was "like deja vu from four years ago".

Flames ripped through the Mackintosh building after it caught fire at about 23:20

15 November 2018: 'Poor communication'

Glasgow School of Art expresses regret over its "poor communications" with the local community following the fire.

Residents and businesses had protested in July over lack of access to their homes and premises after the blaze.

The following month Govan Law Centre threatens Glasgow City Council with legal action over what it describes as the "unacceptable" treatment of locals.

Residents and businesses held several protests after being denied access to their homes and premises

8 March 2019: 'No adequate risk assessment'

Holyrood's culture committee criticises the art school, saying it did not give sufficient priority to safeguarding the building.

The committee's report concludes that prior to the first fire in 2014, the art school had not addressed the heightened risk of fire to the Mackintosh Building or carried out an adequate risk assessment.

It was particularly concerned about the length of time taken for a modern mist suppression system to be installed. Such a system was still not in place when the second fire broke out.

More than 120 firefighters were involved in the operation to contain and extinguish the blaze in 2018

14 June 2019: 'Final phases' of investigation

Investigators looking into the 2018 fire say they are entering the "final phases" of their probe.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said several hundred tonnes of debris still had to be removed from the remains of the building.

The probe was led by fire service group manager David Dourley, who said the final phases of the investigation would be "challenging" due to the volume of debris.

The second fire damaged the neighbouring O2 ABC

14 February 2020: Further delay to inquiry

Investigators now say work on the site is expected to take another six months.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service had examined two parts of the building following the removal of 400 tonnes of charred wreckage.

They had also scoured hundreds of hours of CCTV footage and taken witness statements.

But before the final stages of the investigation can take place, more debris needed to be taken away from the "complex site".

The 2018 blaze could be seen across the city

21 September 2021: Muriel Gray leaves role

Muriel Gray confirms she will step down as chairwoman of the Glasgow School of Art's board of governors - a position she held for eight years.

She says it had been a "privilege" to assist in the running of the "magnificent institution" but felt it was time for a new person to take over.

She had stepped down temporarily from the role due to personal reasons a year after the art school's Mackintosh building was destroyed in 2018.

Muriel Gray said it was time for someone new to take over

22 October 2021: Future restoration

A business strategy report says the fire-ravaged Mackintosh building should be "faithfully" restored.

GSA bosses say this is the "best option" for the building and hope it can reopen between 2027 and 2032, following construction and renovation work.

The report concluded: "The best option is to undertake a faithful reinstatement within the practical constraints of the regulatory environment, while innovating to make sure that digital technology and sustainability are at the building's heart."

It also said restoring the landmark building would act as a "catalyst for regeneration" of Glasgow's Garnethill area and Sauchiehall Street.

The fire in 2018 was the second to devastate the Mackintosh building in just four years

25 January 2022: Fire's cause 'undetermined'

The investigation by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is unable to find a cause for the 2018 blaze.

Its report says that "almost everything within the building was severely damaged or consumed in the fire", including "any potential items of evidence" that could have provided answers.

The cause is recorded as "undetermined" - although there are a number of possibilities which cannot be ruled out.

These were wilful fireraising, a fault or failure in an electrical appliance, or accidental ignition through some other cause.