Crews at Glasgow nightclub fire for third day

Firefighters remain at the scene of a blaze which ripped through a building on one of Glasgow's busiest city centre streets.

Three days after the major fire there are still pockets of flames within the block which housed businesses including Victoria's nightclub.

A major bus route also remains closed and fire chiefs said the investigation had not yet been able to begin.

Twenty firefighters and four appliances continue to damp the building down.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said considerable resources will be in place until the blaze has been fully extinguished.

They have also reassured the public that testing has shown there is no risk from asbestos.

But it is still too early to start any investigation to find out exactly what happened in the Sauchiehall Street block.

Nearby businesses are still unable to open as the operation continues.

Hope Street remains closed to all traffic between Bath Street and Renfrew Street.

The operation has now officially changed to the "damping down" phase.

Assistant Chief Officer Lewis Ramsay was the incident commander at the crucial early stages of the fire.

He said: "We still have crews actively firefighting and taking progressive action to fully extinguish the fire.

"Considerable resources will be in place for the next few days and we will continue to monitor the progress.

"We will remain on the scene for as long as it takes and we are absolutely committed to preventing any further damage to surrounding properties and ensuring the area is made safe."

It is understood that Victoria's and a building next door are so badly damaged that they may have to be demolished.

Fire crews will remain on site for a number of days and cordons will remain to keep the public away from the buildings until they can be made safe.

The fire was one of the biggest faced by Scotland's fire service since it was amalgamated nearly five years ago.

At its height on Thursday more than 120 firefighters and 20 fire engines were mobilised to the city centre.

The fire took hold in the roof of the building at about 08:20 on Thursday.

Thick smoke billowed across the city for much of the day with fears the fire could spread to nearby buildings including the historic Pavilion Theatre.

It is thought the theatre could remain shut for several weeks due to smoke damage.