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Homes evacuated after Glasgow tenement collapses

BBC A collapsed building with fencing in the foregroundBBC
One wall of the building fell down while another was left looking precarious

Roads have been cordoned off and homes evacuated after a derelict tenement building collapsed in Glasgow.

The sandstone block at the corner of Kenmure Street and Albert Drive in the Pollokshields area came crashing down shortly after midnight.

Former River City actor and musician Tom Urie, who was walking past at the time, said he had a lucky escape, likening it to an Indiana Jones movie.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said it sent eight appliances to the scene, but there were no reports of injuries.

The building has been lying derelict for about five years after it was gutted by a fire during lockdown.

Footage on social media shows the immediate aftermath of the collapse

Urie, who lives nearby, described how he was returning home from a party moments before it fell down.

"I started hearing weird noises coming from it and at first I thought there were people in there smashing things up," he told BBC Scotland News.

"I thought it was a weird time of night to be demolishing something.

"It became apparent that something awful was about to happen so I got across the street and turned round and saw the whole façade of the building collapse."

Sylas Shaw A man with a greying beard and a check shirtSylas Shaw
Actor and musician Tom Urie ran for safety as the building collapsed

Video recorded on his mobile phone shows clouds of dust after the Kenmure Street side crumbled and the walls on Albert Drive were left "hanging by a thread".

Urie, who played "Big Bob" O'Hara in River City, described how instinctively he ran for his life.

"I realised I hadn't run since I was eight so it felt like a rather overweight 56-year-old Indiana Jones running away from a collapsing building.

"I was quite frightened, but it was also a shame because it was such a gorgeous old tenement."

Tom Urie A collapsed building with some storefrontsTom Urie
The corner of Kenmure Street and Albert Drive was cordoned off after the building collapsed

The tenement block was one of two buildings badly damaged by fire within months of each other on the same crossroads several years ago.

Urie said the burnt-out shell was fenced off and there was no access to the pavement but there had been local concern about its safety for some time.

"We've all been really worried because it looks unsafe and it has been sitting there for such a long time without anybody doing anything," he said.

A SFRS spokesperson said: "A number of nearby residences were evacuated as firefighters worked to make the building safe".

The last firefighters left the scene at about 03:00.

The area was fenced off on Saturday morning while officials inspected the site.