NOT AGAIN

Fire Tears Through Glasgow School of Art for Second Time in 4 Years

The world-famous building was still under restoration from a 2014 blaze when the new one caused “extensive damage.”

A blaze tore through the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland late Friday, leaving the world-famous building severely damaged for the second time in four years. The art school was housed in the Mackintosh Building, which is widely regarded as an architectural masterpiece. The building was still under restoration after a May 2014 fire when the latest blaze broke out. More than 120 firefighters were sent to the site late Friday to battle the flames, which had reportedly spread to neighboring properties and prompted evacuations in the area. “The damage to this building, regrettably, is very extensive,” Peter Heath of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service told reporters early Saturday. “Every part of the building” was affected and part of the roof collapsed, he said. The cause of the fire remains unknown. Restoration work on the building following the previous fire was funded largely by a celebrity-driven fundraising campaign, with actors Brad Pitt and Peter Capaldi among those who signed up as trustees.