Fire-damaged tenement collapses in Glasgow with homes evacuated

A fire-damaged tenement has collapsed in Glasgow with nearby homes evacuated by emergency services.

The building on the corner of Kenmure Street and Albert Drive was gutted by a fire on April 1, 2020, in the early days of the Covid lockdown.

Residents have long complained that it was dangerous and had to be demolished.

“I noticed weird noises coming from the building… I made my way across the street… Then the whole side of the building collapsed…”
Tom Urie, local resident

Just after midnight on Friday, one side of the tenement collapsed, spraying dust and debris over the street.

Emergency services were called with eight Scottish Fire and Rescue Appliances sent to the scene.
Nearby flats were evacuated as firefighters worked to make the area safe.

There have been no reported injuries.

Part of the facade of the tenement on the corner of Kenmure Street and Albert Drive has collapsed, five years after the building was gutted by fire. Tom Urie

Tom Urie, who lives on Kenmure Street, was walking by when the building collapsed.
“I had just parked the car and was walking round the corner, when I noticed weird noises coming from the building,” he told STV News.

Tenement on the corner of Kenmure Street and Albert Drive in 2019, before the fire. Google Maps

Mr Urie said it sounded like “fireworks or hail” or people throwing things.

“It got louder and so I made my way across the street,” he said.

“Then the whole side of the building collapsed, filling the whole street with dust.

“It all happened in seconds.”

Tenement on the corner of Kenmure Street and Albert Drive in 2021, after sitting derelict for a year after the fire. Google Maps

After the tenement was damaged by fire, it was cordoned off and has remained derelict.

“Residents have long complained that it was dangerous,” Mr Urie told STV News.

“But it means something will be done now, it’s been an eyesore.”

On the opposite side of Albert Drive, another corner tenement was gutted by fire and collapsed in 2019.

The “beautiful old Victorian” tenement had stood for nearly 150 years.

Due to the collapse, roads around the area have been shut while assessments are carried out:

Kenmure Street at Maxwell Road
Kenmure Street at Leslie Street
Albert Drive at Keir Street
Albert Drive at Glenapp Street

A Scottish Fire and Rescue spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 12.09am on Saturday, July 12, to reports of a collapsed derelict building on Kenmure Street, Glasgow.

“Operations control mobilised eight appliances to the scene
and a number of nearby residents have been evacuated as firefighters work to make the area safe.

“There are no reported casualties.”