March 8 2019

MSPs have called for a full public inquiry to be launched into last year’s Glasgow School of Art fire after the Scottish parliament’s culture committee found that the school had failed to prioritise protections for the Mackintosh Building.



The landmark went up in smoke for a second time in June last year, mid-way through an ambitious £36m restoration project instigated after another fire in 2014.

Committee convener Joan McAlpine said: "The board of Glasgow School of Art were custodians of this magnificent building, one of the most significant to Scotland's rich cultural heritage. They had a duty to protect Mackintosh's legacy.

"Glasgow School of Art must learn lessons from its role in presiding over the building, given that two devastating fires occurred within their estate in such a short space of time."



An investigation into the causes of the latest conflagration pinpointed the lack of an adequate risk assessment being conducted as a contributory factor, as well as the absence of a mist suppression system.



Ventilation ducts which exacerbated the 2014 fire were also found to have been still in place at the time of the 2018 blaze.



The school has steadfastly defended its stewardship of the building throughout the hearing.