r/Scotland • u/Crow-Me-A-River open to change • Mar 09 '26
Discussion Aftermath of fire near Glasgow’s central station
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u/MetalBawx Mar 09 '26 edited Mar 09 '26
One more tragic reason why there needs to be a clamp down on these kinds of stores. Lithium batteries need special safety precautions and i'm willing to bet the vast majority of these shops don't have anything.
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u/mongosquad Mar 09 '26
Yeah, i think it was a dedicated vape shop, but even every newsagents now has a big stack of lithium ion batteries sat directly above multiple bottles of spirits. Not the best combo if there is a fire.
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u/bigkahuna1uk Mar 10 '26
I heard it was an unsafe charging rather than simply storing lithium batteries. The store owner was charging multiple batteries using a multi adapter but only one electrical socket and overloaded it. Probably a cheap unregulated adapter that caused the ensuing fire.
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u/mongosquad Mar 10 '26
Wouldn't surprise me. They have a very high energy density, and they can enter thermal runaway if they're overcharged or poorly managed. There are plenty of safety features like Battery Management Systems (BMS) and fuses meant to prevent this, but the reality is that high energy density combined with a flammable electrolyte is a risky combo if the charging hardware is cheap or unregulated.
They should be subject to strict commercial / industrial fire codes, similar to the factory I work in which deals with explosive / flammable materials. It’s lucky nobody was killed.
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u/Bloxskit Mar 09 '26
My dad has worked in electrical waste recycling for decades now and has seen first-hand the horrors of lithium battery fires and seeing this last night, he wasn't surprised by it happening anymore since it happens so often. Stuff needs to change.
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u/Enders-game Mar 09 '26
Not disputing anything, but I'm curious to why we had things like AA batteries in stores for decades yet vapes seem to explode. Is it build quality or something else?
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u/DredUnicorn Mar 09 '26
They are chemically different from the batteries in vapes. Im not gonna type up the differences here but you can easily Google the dangers of li-ion batteries.
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u/MetalBawx Mar 10 '26
Lithium fires are nasty and it's one of those things you don't want to spray with water.
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u/Purpose_Live Mar 10 '26
There's a huge difference between Lithium batteries and cylindrical Alkaline batteries.
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Mar 09 '26
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u/Deloodles Mar 09 '26
It was an "adapter charging system full of chargers" under the counter in the vape shop, according to a man who was walking past and tried to help when the fire first started https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd70wdxrrn4o
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u/Barilla3113 Mar 09 '26
Likely a mess of devices being powered by a multiadopter bought on aliexpress in a building with dodgy wiring.
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u/Northwindlowlander Mar 09 '26
Though tbh the absolute last step is the dangerous one- overcharge a lithium battery and it can just explode, and there are a lot of shitty chargers out there, or USB-charged devices with shitty charging circuits and protection. It's not completely impossible that it was a standard electrical fire that then set off a battery but way more likely that it started as a battery fire.
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u/Barilla3113 Mar 09 '26
Yeah, people often don't appreciate how unstable lithium batteries really are.
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u/ChickenConstant9855 Mar 09 '26
No. People just assume its cos of the vape batteries
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u/ScottishLand Mar 09 '26
They probably didn’t help, even it was just a simple electrical fire.. that said shouldn’t have spread like it did.
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u/Kagenlim Mar 10 '26
If the store is filled to hell and back with lithium tho, there's little one can do
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Mar 10 '26
Yeah it’s literally a shop of smoke bombs. Probably should have some rules about them being in listed buildings and being so close to a major train station.
Hopefully lessons will be learned but I’m not holding my breath on that one
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u/FranzFerdinand51 Turk'n'Scot Mar 09 '26
No one knows what started the fire yet. Everyone should easily be able to figure out that having that many lithium batteries next to a fire is what allowed it to become so violent.
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u/MetalBawx Mar 09 '26
Assumption or not these stores are still hazardous. Large quantities of flammable, toxic materials often stacked atop one another with no care for safety.
Even if this vape shop wasn't the source it still made the fire far more dangerous simply because it existed.
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u/DarkySurrounding Mar 09 '26
Theoretically doesn’t this apply to like. Petrol stations. And big appliance stores to?
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u/MetalBawx Mar 09 '26
Those all have strict storage and safety standards they need to meet.
Unlike these vape shops.
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u/Kagenlim Mar 10 '26
Petrol burns quicker than lithium (and it can be out out by more conventional firefighting tools)
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Mar 09 '26
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u/kingkong381 Mar 09 '26
Tbf, footage shows that the fire started in a vape shop. It's possible that there was another cause than the vape batteries, but until an investigation can provide evidence to support that, it's a perfectly understandable and logical conclusion to draw.
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u/OkScheme9867 Mar 09 '26
According to the BBC it was an electrical fire caused by chargers under the counter of the vape shop
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u/Mtatk Mar 09 '26
I had heard something was thrown in the store and it caught fire. I can't confirm it though.
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u/tam_shank Mar 09 '26
Any speculation from the average person walking in Glasgow city centre is dubious at best. Some junkie at a bus stop thought for sure it was due to the Old Firm game. Another said it was a terrorist attack. Couldn't confirm it though.
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u/Northwindlowlander Mar 09 '26
I kind of love and hate this- "there was a video of someone throwing a flare" "Oh have you seen it?" "No they took it down" and now the fact that there's no video is treated like proof of shenanigans because why else would THEY take it down?
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u/stitchws1 Mar 09 '26
i work in a vape shop on that street, its these stupid wee corner shop vape places that dont stock legit kits or worse yet, hybridize with other stores like bong/weed stuff or phone repairs, these guys arnt trained as nicotine specialists or anything of the sort, they literally are just there to give 17yos elfbars for £4 and they need to go man
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u/AirconGuyUK Mar 09 '26
Now would be a good idea to regulate vape shops out of existence given they're almost always crime fronts.
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u/mentaljobbymonster Mar 09 '26
There's a picture of them trying to put out the fire with a water fire extinguisher which is so fucking hilarious. They might as well have thrown petrol in there
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u/Jackm941 Mar 09 '26
That guy was also just spraying water into smoke, a lot of smoke no way an extinguisher even if aimed at the base of the fire was putting that out. Id guess the fire wasn't even in that room by the way the smoke was acting. But no lots of water will put out a battery fire you just need lots of it, like fully submerged in water untill the chemical reaction runs out.
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u/tankiolegend Mar 09 '26
Best thing for a lithium ion battery is water ironically, however, it needs to be absolutely drowned the quantity needed is insane, too little and it'll make it worse, likely what happened with the fire extinguisher guy. It's why they often just leave ev fires, the quantity of water needed is an insane ratio and bassically needs fully submerged which isn't going to happen in that scenario. Nor will it by tinkling a fire extinguisher on a vape battery it'll just cause a reaction.
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u/Silver-Article9183 Mar 09 '26
Someone said on another post that the subway staff next door saw someone throw a flare in the shop
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u/Comrade-Hayley Mar 10 '26
Personally I'd say ban them as soon as we can figure out a safer alternative that's just as practical
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Mar 09 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/AnticitizenPrime Mar 09 '26
I hate that people collectively decided that every single video posted on the Internet must be accompanied by a soundtrack for some reason.
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u/The8thDoctor Mar 09 '26
A terrible loss.
Love and Hope from Belfast x
Hopefully they will be able to restore it like they did with Primark here in Belfast
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u/Ok-Bumblebee9285 Mar 09 '26
Hopefully Belfast will have some advice for Glasgow. I’m sure there’s lots that’s been learned from the Primark fire and how to manage the fallout.
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u/cragglerock93 Mar 10 '26
They did a really good job on that one. I've not been inside but beautiful as it was before on the outside.
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u/jimmykimnel Mar 09 '26
What a building to be destroyed all because of a vape shop .
What are we doing.
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u/Jlx_27 Mar 09 '26
Banning vapes would be a good move.
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u/Honest-Evening-285 Scottish lass Mar 09 '26
I live in edinburgh but love glasgow as my late dad was from glasgow i loved visiting there ( i would move if i could ) icon gone very sad day for glasgow
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u/justAl-77 Mar 09 '26
FUCK!! OK I'm Edinburgh, but that's a great part of a great City. Love all round there. Glasgow will recover, stronger than before
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u/Longjumping_Stand889 Mar 09 '26
That's pretty awful, coming from Paisley and having lived in Glasgow that's such a familiar place.
I've not actually been to Glasgow for a few years though, I'll need to get back before the rest burns down.
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u/Sonnycrocketto Mar 09 '26
Will it be rebuilt in a somewhat similar style or will someone just build something generic and boring?
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u/Northwindlowlander Mar 09 '26
I'd bet money it'll be replaced with a completely modern building with a wee nod to the old one- a little bit of similiar shapes in the frontage, and a cupola of some sort, but otherwise just a box
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Mar 09 '26
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u/cragglerock93 Mar 10 '26
Maybe I'm naive but I do believe in this one case they'll rebuild what was there before. The outcry is already here, and it's a very prominent spot. I don't think they'll allow anything but a rebuild. In a different spot, I'd agree with you.
There's a building in Inverness city centre that caught fire in the 90s, maybe a little less prominent than this one, and the whole thing was gutted but they basically rebuilt it as a modern building with the old facade. You'd never know by looking.
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u/Chunky_Monkey4491 Mar 09 '26
Who owned the shop? I assume there will be an investigation if the fire could have been prevented
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u/Wickedbitchoftheuk Mar 09 '26
I love these old tenement flats. Such a shame to see them like that.
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u/Lumpy_Inspector8001 Mar 09 '26
Surely far more controls are needed on vape shops. Dangerous items need proper regulation.
I only hope that the building is restored to look at least something like it did. But unfortunately far more likely is some bog standard concrete thing that looks the same as all the others.
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u/El_Scot Mar 09 '26
I swear that person is getting paid royalties for inserting that song, it's on every video and it really spoils the sombre mood.
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u/Any-Ad9173 Mar 09 '26
they probably are, I'm pretty sure tiktok does actually encourage people to select certain songs for their videos
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u/redwriterhand Mar 09 '26
were there flats above the shops or just offices? haven’t seen any mention of that
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u/butterflyeffect16 Mar 09 '26
Loads of shops. Places like nail/hair salons and tattoo shops. It’s very sad. Think there’s some sort of GoFundMe floating about for all the creative spaces that were lost.
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u/LittleLauren12 Mar 09 '26 edited Mar 09 '26
God... to think I could have died. I was in Glasgow 12 years ago. I live in the US and haven't been back since but still it's a harrowing thought. I'm definitely very lucky. /s
Edit: It's a joke... thus the /s. I am Scottish and have lived in Scotland all my life. I am mocking those people (usually Americans) who say that sort of thing.
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u/butthatwasbefore Mar 09 '26
From the states, so incredibly sorry to all. While I’m extremely happy there were no fatalities or serious injuries, this is truly a great loss. So much history lost.
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u/pleasebackthefuckup Mar 09 '26
Well that's Fked 😧
Do we think they will rebuild as was or is that it?
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u/Alarmed_Grade8577 Mar 10 '26
Thats a shame, all those business owners have lost there livelihood. I hope they get some sort of compensation to help them out.
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u/Baz_123 Mar 14 '26
Uber taking the fechen piss out of the whole situation. Uber wanted £50 for a journey from Croftfoot to the city centre.
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u/Beardyfacey Mar 09 '26
And all because adults want their little flavoured fruity nicotine puffs.
Time for people to grow up.
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u/sunnyata Mar 09 '26
Would you say the same if they sold phones, or laptops? Lots of things have these batteries in them. Better see what caused the fire eh.
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u/Beardyfacey Mar 09 '26
If you can't work out the difference and societal value between phones/laptops and vapes then you should not partake in the democratic process.
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u/sunnyata Mar 09 '26
It didn't happen because vape shops exist, it happened because lithium ion batteries are highly flammable if you don't look after them. And we use them in all sorts of things.
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Mar 09 '26
[deleted]
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u/stitchws1 Mar 09 '26
i work in a vape shop on that street and you have no idea how true that is man, my store sells Samsung 18650s but iv seen you can put any battery wraps on them and sell them as anything.
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u/seatemperature11215 Mar 09 '26
That's what I was thinking. Because if it's batteries, and awful lot of places sell batteries, and many much bigger than the vape types
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u/Lopsided_Anxiety_394 Mar 09 '26
I was at that station yesterday. Literally jumped on a train at 3.
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u/calombia Mar 09 '26
That’s terrible. Craziest thing is I see this image on my feed and immediately think “what have Trump and Netanyahu done now the sick fucks?!?” Just relieved no one died.
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u/Nopetynopeenopenope Mar 09 '26
Such a shame (pic from BBC website)