William Young is currently residing at the Rennie Mackintosh Station Hotel on Union Street however, despite being less than a minute’s walk from where Sunday’s blaze erupted, the hotel was not evacuated.
William Young, 44(Image: Supplied)
A Glasgow man staying at a city centre hotel has told of the moment he watched the iconic Union Street corner building being ravaged by a devastating fire, just yards from where he slept.
William Young, 44, is currently residing at the Rennie Mackintosh Station Hotel on Union Street however, despite being less than a minute’s walk from where Sunday’s blaze erupted, the hotel was not evacuated.
Emergency services locked down the area shortly after 3.40pm after a fire started within a vape shop. Onlookers were quickly moved back as the blaze spread, before the iconic structure collapsed and businesses and livelihoods were lost.
The fire service has since launched a multi-agency investigation into the cause of the fire.
An Edinburgh fire crew was sent to battle the Union Street blaze in Glasgow (Image: Getty/ Jeff J Mitchell)
The Rennie Mackintosh Station Hotel at 59 Union Street was at the centre of Sunday’s cordon, with William saying guests were able to “come and go”, despite the major emergency operation. The 44-year-old claims those staying at the hotel, many of whom are homeless, were “overlooked”.
William sought temporary accommodation at the hotel after losing his partner last year, he has been a resident since September and will remain there until housing becomes available.
Speaking to Glasgow Live he said: “I feel, as a resident we have been overlooked. Where was the safeguarding of the people within the hotel? We have been able to come and go since Sunday – one gust of wind and it could have been a completely different story.”
William claims guests were without electricity on Sunday evening and partly on Monday, March 9 and from Wednesday, police officers have been escorting guests to the hotel through the cordon.
The former Union Corner building(Image: Tony Nicoletti/Daily Record)
Businesses, Glasgow Central Station and Voco Grand Central Hotel were evacuated during the fire, and while acknowledging the “devastating blow to Glasgow city centre”, William questions “why not the Rennie Mackintosh Station Hotel?”
On Sunday, the Voco Grand Central Hotel – located on Gordon Street – urged guests to seek shelter at the city’s Raddison Blue. A message read: “Due to the nearby fire at Glasgow Central Station, we are currently evacuating and request all guests move to Raddison Blue immediately.”
“In that moment it felt like we didn’t matter. I didn’t have anywhere else to go, and with all the commotion during the fire it was overwhelming. I felt so in the dark, staff at the hotel could not give us answers. There was a serious lack of communication”, William said.
Google Maps shows the distance between the hotel and where the fire started
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said that evacuation plans for surrounding buildings were discussed at multiagency meetings and partners were “content that the buildings which didn’t evacuate were safe”. The fire service established an inner cordon for the incident area, while it is understood that Police Scotland erected an outer cordon to manage traffic and members of the public.
The Rennie Mackintosh Station Hotel confirmed guests were not evacuated during Sunday’s fire. Glasgow Live approached for further comment.
Police Scotland were also contacted.