Glasgow art school to be partially demolished after blaze

One of the world's top art schools is to be partially demolished after it was gutted by a second devastating fire, Glasgow City Council said today.

Flames tore through the Glasgow School of Art's famous Charles Rennie Mackintosh building on June 15, destroying four years of restoration work after a previous blaze.

Glasgow City Council confirmed parts of the building need to be brought down after surveys found that a sudden collapse "is likely, rather than possible". Demolition work is expected to start in the coming days.

Raymond Barlow, the council's head of building control, said: "This building has undergone substantial stress in recent days. With each passing day a sudden collapse becomes more likely. It has become urgent that we take down the south facade. As the process begins it will be likely that the other walls will also need to be reduced. We do not know what effect this will have on the rest of the building so I have to be clear this site remains dangerous -- and is becoming more dangerous."