What happened to the Glasgow School of Art in 2014?

On 23 May 2014 a fire broke out at the Glasgow School of Art. It completely destroyed the world famous library designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, which was a grade A listed building erected in 1909. Fortunately there were no casualties.

How did the Glasgow School of Art fire start?

Investigation into the blaze found that flammable gases produced from a can of expanding foam coming into contact with the hot surface of a projector lamp caused the fire.

The fire quickly took hold, engulfing combustibles throughout the building and generating hot temperatures and gases sufficient to damage windows. This ventilated the smoke and provided an intake of fresh air.

What can the industry learn from the Glasgow School of Art fire?

The type of construction allowed for cavity wall ventilation that aided the flame spread through the building, acting as a chimney and engulfing the many combustible works of art contained inside.

Fast action by the fire authorities managed to save 90% of the artefacts.