MORE than 100 firefighters from across Scotland are tackling one of the biggest fires the city of Glasgow seen in recent memory - and a fire chief has warned it could last for days.

The blaze started after 8am on Thursday on Sauchiehall Street between discount retailer Savers and popular pub Lauders.

Crews who initially attended the scene discovered a fire within a commercial property within the stretch of shops. Many of the shop workers in the area said it started in Victoria’s Nightclub.

Those firefighters attempted to put out the fire but it developed too quickly - and support from across Scotland was called.

Assistant Chief Officer Lewis Ramsay, of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Firefighters turned up almost immediately from the neighbouring stations and they discovered a fire within the commercial property.

“They attempted to extinguish that fire with the immediate attack. Regrettably, it was too intense and it developed too quickly.”

He added: “They withdrew and we built on the number of resources we had to hand.

“I have been in the fire service for a number of years and I have attended a lot of big fires in the city centre. This is about the biggest fire I have ever attended.”

The Chief Officer of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Alasdair Hay also described the fire as “one of the largest incidents the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has faced since its inception.”

More than 20 crews with over 100 firefighters descended on the scene as police set up a cordon which stretched along Sauchiehall Street to Buchanan Street, with part of Renfield Street also closed off.

ACO Ramsay said: “The building design makes the fire complicated. There are a number of different units in the one curtilage, and we have to understand where the fire is spreading and where it is going to go next. That is what makes it so complicated.”

He added: “We will be here for days. I am still firefighting, I am not even beginning to think about the next stages I am thinking about putting the fire out just now and that is my focus as is keeping those 100 firefighters save.”

Another priority for the fire service was saving the iconic Pavilion Theatre which was only separated by Renfrew Lane.

Fire crews broke into the venue, which is one of the oldest in the city, to safeguard it from the fire.

They set up jets on the roof while safeguarding the Pavilion’s fascia.

ACO Ramsay said: “I don’t want pretend, there was significant risk of fire spread to adjacent iconic properties. I am delighted to say that we managed to get in there very quickly and do what we had to do to stop that spread.”

Nearby homes and businesses were warned to stay indoors and close their windows over asbestos fears.

But ACO Ramsay assured people that there is no need to worry.

He said: “We got an evacuation done. People don’t need to worry about it and we took measures to ensure that anyone living in and around this area is indoors and their windows are shut, and they are not out when they don’t need to be out.”

He added: “There is asbestos in every building of a particular age, it was very common building material.

“We suspect it is present here and we take precautions. People don’t need to worry about that we are dealing with that.”

Praise was also heaped on the firefighters who have just started the tough task of extinguishing the blaze.

ACO Ramsay said: “They have done a fantastic job every single one of them. I am hugely proud of the firefighters we have not only in this city but across of Scotland.

“We have firefighters across Scotland at this job - that is how complicated it is. They have put up with a lot, they have had to put up with me shouting and barking orders at them, and they get on with their job with great fortitude, great courage and I am hugely proud of them.”

The fire sparked an emergency meeting at the Scottish Parliament as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon chaired a meeting of the resilience group.

She said: “This remains a serious ongoing incident and my sincere thanks go to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, and other emergency services for their heroic work.”