Glasgow hospitality firms shuttered after Central Station blaze

Sexy Coffee’s owner Alessandro Varese also owns the Blue Lagoon Fish & Chip shop on Gordon Street which was destroyed too. The restaurant took to Instagram to say: “Thankfully no one was hurt. Thanks to the Fire Brigade and the local community for all their support at this difficult time. We will aim to open up bigger and better in due course.”

Varese told the BBC that another branch of the Blue Lagoon on nearby Argyle Street was closed because of smoke damage. He said he wanted all of the business owners in the block to “stick together” and rebuild.

Food-to-go firm Subway’s Union Street branch has also been destroyed in the blaze, while Intercontinental Hotel Group subsidiary Voco’s Grand Central location, which adjoins the Grand Central building, is “temporarily closed until further notice”. The Scottish Fire and Rescue service told the BBC that preventing the “very intense fire” from spreading to the hotel itself took a “huge effort” from fire crews.

Other nearby businesses that have had to close temporarily include African restaurant Calabash and Viet Pho, which posted on Instagram that it will be “a few days” before it can reopen, as “the firefighting work is not yet complete”.

Glasgow Grand Central station is likely to remain closed until at least Tuesday, with other hospitality businesses in the concourse likely to be impacted. This includes branches of Starbucks, Greggs, Pret A Manger, Costa Coffee and Black Sheep Coffee.

Photography: Vyro Media