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The Herald Scotland
04-08-2025
- General
- The Herald Scotland
A church and a warehouse up in flames. So what's with all the fires?
It's the same in Glasgow. Just a couple of days before the fire at St Mungo's Church, firefighters were tackling a blaze at a warehouse in the Kinning Park area of the city, and as the drivers on the M8 nearby watched the smoke billowing out over the motorway, no doubt some of them, me included, mentally added it to the list of the other buildings in the city that have ended in fire. With one in particular right at the top of the list, the most famous: the Mack. So what's going on, and can we detect some kind of trend? You may have seen the pictures, rather creepy ones, of a man, apparently in some kind of helmet and mask, walking up the lane near the Kinning Park warehouse. The pictures show him climbing over a wall and a few minutes later, the flames have started and the man runs away. The police have confirmed the fire was started deliberately and in Glasgow it feels like a pattern. I saw it myself a couple of weeks ago when I spotted a fire in the woods in Bellahouston Park and reported it to the police. Fortunately, it was put out quickly and only a few of the trees were damaged. It's also important to mention what's happening to the men and women who fight the fires. I was speaking to a newly recruited fireman the other day who was telling me he's volunteered to be shifted round different stations in Glasgow to plug the gaps in the staff. Some 1,200 firefighter posts in Scotland have been lost to cuts in the last 13 years and the fire service is also planning to close down 13 stations and scrap 10 appliances. The Fire Brigade Union makes the point that this affects response times and when response times get longer, fires do more damage and, potentially, not to put too fine a point on it, more people die. Read more LEZ and the problem with Glasgow's trees plan The most notorious building in Glasgow: a way forward Glasgow's rubbish-bin millions: where has the money gone? But the wider context here is interesting if we're thinking about what's with all the fires and what's causing them, because house fires have actually fallen to an all-time low in the last 20 years or so; the number of deaths and casualties has also fallen and we know why: there's a wider use of smoke detectors and the detectors have got better. The stats on house fires are actually a conspicuous example of success in policy on public safety. But it's with apparently deliberate fires that things get a bit murkier. On the whole, the trend has been downwards in the last five years or so, but the most recent statistics from the Scottish Government demonstrate it may not last. There were 226 deliberate building fires in the last quarter of 2024-25, up from 197 in the same period of 2023-24. There were also 185 deliberate road vehicle fires in the last quarter or 2024-25, up from 153 in 2023-24. In other words, the number of deliberate fires looks like it's increasing again. The motivations for arson are complicated and can be linked to other criminality – who knows what was going on with that creepy masked man in Kinning Park. But we also know that visible signs of decay and disorder in a community – graffiti, broken windows, gaping roofs – attract even more decay and disorder; a community that's in a state or a building that's been left to rot eventually becomes an invitation to people who want to make it worse, often by fire. They may also think an abandoned or empty building means they can get whatever the buzz it is they get from arson with less risk to life. Whatever's going on, decaying, neglected communities and buildings increase the risk of fire. Fiirefighters at the sight of the Kinning Park incident (Image: Newsquest) Obviously, this does not apply to every incident – St Mungo's was a working church and we don't yet know the specific cause of the blaze. But the Cottage [[Theatre]] in [[Cumbernauld]] had not been properly maintained and was in a poor state, with the local MSP Jamie Hepburn calling the fire a demonstration of what happens when a building is left to go to rack and ruin. I suspect the building will eventually be lost for good sadly, and it wouldn't be the first to fall victim to the old formula: neglect = fire = demolition. For another example, look at the sorry state of Ayr Station Hotel. Same formula. We know some of the background to this: council budgets are in a terrible state and buildings, particularly older buildings, can be expensive to maintain. Personal economic hardship also makes it harder for people to spend money on the places where they live which is why more often than not it's in areas of deprivation that the worst fires happen. Basically, it's about properly maintaining communities and the buildings in which people live and work (and sometimes pray) because if we don't properly maintain them, sooner or later some of them will end in flames. I suppose all we can do now is wait to see if the man who started the Kinning Park fire can be found and wait to see what the investigation into St Mungo's discovers. But whenever another building burns, those of us who care about our built heritage become more impatient with the lack of care shown towards it. Not only are we losing architecture that could have a future – and in some cases is rather beautiful – we're also paying the environmental cost of destroying buildings (by fire or bulldozer or dynamite) and putting up new ones in their place (most recent example: the Wynford high-rises). Better, I would have thought, to try and renovate the old ones. Better to protect them. Better to prevent them from turning intoto ashes.
Daily Record
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Prestwick singer set to release tribute song for victims of Great Fire of Ayr
'Forever Sisters' honours 29 lives lost in the tragic fire at Templeton's Carpet Factory in 1876. Prestwick singer Debbie Campbell is set to release a tribute song for victims of Templeton's Carpet Factory fire. A very destructive fire occurred in the Ayr factory in 1876, and claimed the lives of 29 people - 28 women and one man - with the youngest victim being only 11-years-old. Debbie, together with her partner and songwriter Robert Neil and fellow musician Scott Nicol, recorded a brand new single, 'Forever Sisters', to tell the sad tale. 'Forever Sisters' will be released on Monday, June 16 to mark 149 anniversary since the tragedy took place. Robert said: "I first heard the story of this tragedy from a service user when I was a mental health support worker. "I decided to write the song after I went looking for a plaque near Fort Street but there was none. "Forever Sisters started as a poem but then I thought it could work as a ballad. "Debbie and Scott worked on the melody then Sam Gallagher at EssGee Productions in Cambuslang did a great job with the production."I have always been drawn to songs with a narrative, especially when they tell a true story." Debbie said: "Next year it will be the 150th anniversary of this tragedy. "It took Robert about a year to finish off as he kept going back to the words. He was very conscious of how he wanted the words to reflect the level of tenderness and sensitivity needed for such a story. "When Robert passed me the lyrics I took them straight away to Scott Nicol and we worked on the melody fairly quickly. "I knew what sort of sound I wanted for it, a nod to the old folk songs of the past, telling of tales long gone." Debbie added: "What struck me most was the ages of the young women. The youngest was just 11-years-old. "The line in the song 'Innocence had no place to hide' was sung by one of Scott's students, 12-year-old Mithian Perry. "We felt that was a lovely tribute and Maggie Mitchell who is mentioned in the song, was only 12-years-old too, and she was the great, great, great, great aunt of Tracey Struthers. "We would like to give thanks to Ken Nairn, a local historian, who I got in touch with to see what he knew about the Great Fire of Ayr, and he told me all about Tracey, who had done a lot of research on the subject." While working on the song, Debbie, Robert and Scott were "surprised" by the lack of unawareness of the tragedy and the fact that there is no plaque to remember those who tragically died in the fire. For the past few months it has been a mission to get a plaque up on the former site. Tracey, whose ancestor died in the fire, had been contacting both the council and the Fire Brigade Union about a plaque. The Fire Brigade Union are now on board and assisting to make this happen. Debbie added: "During Robert's research into the story, he found out about another group of people who had done some work on the Great Fire of Ayr too, The Time Team, based at Lochside Community Centre. "The Time Team had been asking the council too about putting something up on the former building, and they are over the moon to hear that it is finally going to happen." Debbie and Robert are also members of the Senior Screen Time, a club run by Eddy Gemmell from TV Ayrshire. The duo thought the story of the Great Fire of Ayr would be perfect for the social history documentary they were doing. Debbie said: "It's a Senior Screen Team project and is produced by the crew, of which myself and my partner Robert are part of. "This will be part of the examples for Screen Scotland along with other films we have produced." A documentary was recorded at the former site, as well as at Holmston Road Cemetery where the two coffins with the remains of 28 victims were placed. Debbie said: "I believe the whole town of Ayr came out on the day of the funeral and followed the two coffins all the way up to Holmston Road to the cemetery. "We know that a 16-year-old Catherine McKinnon jumped from the third floor and died hours later from her injuries. She is the only one who is buried elsewhere in the town." While working on a documentary, Debbie and Robert also interviewed Tracey on her vast knowledge of the incident. Both Debbie and Robert said it not only helped with the documentary but it allowed them to complete the lyrics. Tracey said: "Finding out at 13-years-old that my ancestor Maggie Mitchell had perished in the fire at 12-years-old in her place of work was difficult to understand. I lived two streets away just around the corner and walked through the car park right next to the site of the fire every day to get the bus to school. "There was nothing marking the area to let anyone know that 29 poor souls had died. When I told people at school and my history teacher they had no idea. "Those who died in 1876 had simply been forgotten. It was difficult enough conditions for adults working in mills and factories. I can not imagine an 11 or 12-year-old having to take on adult responsibilities in a workplace." She added: "I was overwhelmed when Debbie contacted me to say she was recording a song about the fire, I welcome any highlighting of this tragedy, so that for many more generations those who suffered in the Great Fire of Ayr will always be remembered." "Forever Sisters" will be released on Monday, June 16. A teaser for Debbie's new single is now available here.
Edinburgh Live
29-05-2025
- General
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh locals 'deeply concerned' as fire station threatened with closure
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info An Edinburgh fire station threatened by closure has sparked a frenzy of concern from locals and firefighters who say they are concerned for the safety of their neighbourhood. The Marionville Fire Station in Restalrig may close and relocate three miles away to Newcraighall. Edinburgh Live spoke to David Strachan, Marionville's branch representative for the Fire Brigade Union (FBU). The firefighter has worked at the station for 17 years and was "deeply upset" by the news of potential closure. He claimed the move to Newcraighall would come with a downsize, costing the station 10 firefighter posts which he called a safety concern for the area. David said: "This is my community. I live in Abbeyhill. My family lives here and my kids go to school in this area. Marionville would be the first [station] attendance at my home and my kids school and for friends in the area if there was a fire. "I'm worried that my family and friends, the people of of our community, would have to wait longer for fire engines to respond to an emergency. I have serious concerns that it would make people in this part of Edinburgh less safe." David claimed the next nearest fire station at McDonald Road, one of the busiest bases in Scotland, would pick up the bulk of Marionville's calls - making the station "significantly busier". He added: "If McDonald Road [station] is busy - they can only respond to one call at a time - if there were two calls concurrently, people would be waiting even longer for a response." Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Asked about the morale at the station, David added: "Everyone is very unsettled because we don't know what future holds for us. Our primary concern is for the people of this community that are ultimately going to be less safe as a result of this decision." The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said the decision to close Marionville was not final and that "any permanent changes to our station footprint or how we deliver our services will only come after we have sought views from the public". Chris Murray, MP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, has voiced his support for the fire station. He told Edinburgh Live: "I am perplexed that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service are taking forward proposals to close Marionville Fire Station. This station is a vital resource in addressing callouts across my constituency, and the whole city. "Given the pressures we have seen on the fire service over the likes of Bonfire Night, I am clear that closing this station is not in the interests of my constituents' safety." A post on his Instagram adds: "The Marionville firefighters put their lives on the line every day to protect people in central and east Edinburgh. I have met with them several times and heard how bravely they act to save lives – and how they are increasingly overstretched. "Cutting this station to move resources elsewhere would increase response times – which could be the difference between a bad incident, and a disastrous one. As the local MP, I am crystal clear: Marionville fire station should not be considered for closure." David launched a petition to help save the station, which garnered over 1,500 signatures in 24 hours. It explains that Marionville was built using Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) panels, meaning the station is unsafe and needs to be rebuilt. The petition continues: "The closure of Marionville presents a huge increase in risk, with increased response times to a densely populated area of Edinburgh, a city where the population is increasing at an unprecedented rate . . . Resources are already spread far too thin in the capital. "It is a matter of minutes for a fire to go from manageable to fully developed, dramatically increasing the risk to people, property and firefighters." You can find David's petition here. Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Andrew Girrity from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: "We are currently in the midst of a service delivery review, which aims to ensure that our resources – our staff, stations and appliances – are matched to operational risk and demand across Scotland. 'We also must address urgent property issues including stations affected by Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC), which includes Marionville Community Fire Station. "We have now concluded an options appraisal and development process, and a number of change options have been recommended to progress to public consultation in the summer. This remains subject to final approval by the SFRS Board. "Any permanent changes to our station footprint or how we deliver our services will only come after we have sought views from the public and a final decision has been made by the SFRS Board."
