Fire brigade are seen fighting a blaze near Glasgow Central, Scotland’s busiest railway station, which has been closed after fire erupts at a vape shop on Union Street, causing explosions and partial collapse of the B-listed Victorian building. (Credit: Jason Fong / Strathclyde Telegraph)
A historic Victorian landmark in the heart of Glasgow city centre has been left devastated after a major fire tore through a building on Union Street on Sunday afternoon.
The blaze, which began at around 3:45pm, engulfed the four-storey Union Corner building near Glasgow Central Station, sending flames and thick smoke across one of the busiest parts of the city.
Firefighters remained at the scene on Monday morning after battling the blaze for hours as the fire spread through the structure, eventually causing sections of the building to collapse.
The destruction of the B-listed building marks a dramatic change to a familiar corner of Glasgow’s city centre, a place passed daily by thousands of commuters, shoppers and visitors moving through Central Station.
A landmark in the heart of the city
Known as Union Corner, the building sits at the junction of Union Street and Gordon Street, directly beside Glasgow’s main railway station.
Constructed in 1851, the Victorian structure predates Glasgow Central Station, which opened in 1879. It was designed by architect James Brown of the firm Brown & Carrick for Francis Orr & Sons, a prominent Glasgow stationery and publishing company.
For generations, the building formed a recognisable part of the city skyline, once featuring an Irn-Bru advert on its rooftop and a red neon Bell’s sign on its dome.
More recently, businesses including Sexy Coffee and the Blue Lagoon takeaway operated from the ground floor.
Its prominent location meant the building was seen daily by thousands of people moving through the city centre, commuters arriving by train, office workers heading to nearby streets, and visitors exploring Glasgow.
Fire spreads rapidly through building
Emergency crews were first called to Union Street shortly before 4 pm on Sunday, with six fire engines initially sent to the scene.
Witnesses reported seeing smoke pouring into the street at around 3:45pm, believed to have originated from a vape shop on the upper corner of the building.
As the afternoon progressed, the situation worsened rapidly.
By 5pm, nearby venues were ordered to evacuate as smoke thickened and alarms continued to sound across the area.
Police expanded the exclusion zone between 5:30pm and 6pm, pushing crowds further up Hope Street while additional emergency services arrived.
Throughout the evening, the fire spread through multiple floors of the building. Strathclyde Telegraph reporters at the scene described flames climbing both the inside and outside of the structure, while pieces of masonry began falling onto Union Street. Witnesses said parts of the second and third floors began collapsing as the blaze intensified.
At around 7pm, a billboard mounted on top of the building fell as flames reached the roofline. Shortly afterwards, the roof of the original fire site collapsed inward.
By 7:45pm, the blaze had spread towards the corner of Union Street and Gordon Street, catching the building above nearby café Sexy Coffee.
Later in the evening, flames were reported to have spread further along Gordon Street toward the Blue Lagoon takeaway.
Disruption across the city centre
The fire forced the closure of Glasgow Central Station, Scotland’s busiest railway station, with no services stopping at the station during the evening.
Union Street was also closed between Gordon Street and St Vincent Street, with diversions put in place while emergency crews worked at the scene.
The closure left many commuters stranded as they searched for alternative travel arrangements.
Shock at the scale of destruction
The scale of the blaze has drawn comparisons with the fires that destroyed the Glasgow School of Art, widely considered one of the most significant building losses in the city in recent decades.
Glasgow MSP Paul Sweeney said those witnessing the fire were shocked by the scale of the blaze.
Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, he said:
“To see the entire building completely consumed in an inferno was truly shocking.
“I think it’s just raised serious questions about the proximity of critical national infrastructure to these vape shops.”
Local businesses destroyed in blaze
Several businesses located around Glasgow Central Station have been destroyed or severely damaged following the fire, which is believed to have started in a vape shop on Union Street.
The blaze tore through the building housing a number of small independent businesses, including cafés, hair salons and beauty services that serve commuters, city centre workers and visitors passing through the area each day.
Among the businesses impacted is Sexy Coffee, which confirmed in a statement on Instagram that its shop inside the building had been completely destroyed.
The café said:
“We are absolutely devastated to confirm that the shop has sadly been destroyed in the fire.
“It is heartbreaking for us and our team, especially after the support and loyalty we have received from so many of you over the years.”
Despite the destruction, the business said it intends to rebuild and reopen in the future.
“However, we want to reassure everyone that this is not the end. We will rebuild, revamp the shop, and reopen as soon as possible.”
Many other small businesses in the surrounding streets remain closed while emergency services continue to secure the area and assess the damage.
With Glasgow Central Station still closed and no estimate yet on when it will reopen, the fire continues to disrupt both businesses and commuters in the heart of the city, leaving a visible gap in one of Glasgow’s most recognisable city-centre streets.
Hi, I’m Julia Braun Raven, a second-year Journalism, Media & Creative Writing student. I’m co-Editor-in-Chief and Features Editor, and I love creating stories that matter to students, inspiring them, supporting what they’re passionate about, and celebrating their achievements. I’m especially interested in arts, culture, and student life, and I enjoy bringing energy, curiosity, and a love of storytelling to every piece I work on.
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