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Stunned public take to Twitter to express shock as Glasgow School of Art blaze rages

By Angela Haggerty, Reporter

May 23, 2014 | 4 min read

Members of the public have flocked to Twitter to express their shock and devastation as flames engulfed Glasgow’s iconic School of Art. The building, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, went ablaze at around noon on today (23 May) and firefighters have been battling to bring it under control. Students and passers-by were quick to post images of the scene on Twitter and Facebook as the fire took hold, and as the situation worsened people spoke of their horror at the damage to a historic building of huge cultural signifance. Stuart Gilmour, owner of Glasgow-based communications agency Stand and a former student at Glasgow School of Art, told The Drum that the developments were “truly devastating” and that there was real shock in Glasgow at the unfolding scene. “I genuinely feel quite sick about it,” he said. “I’ve been on Facebook over the last few minutes with lots of ex-students who all feel the same. We’re all quite shaken by it, there’s a whole mix of emotions coming on.” Glasgow School of Art is keeping the public up to date via its @GSofA feed after its website crashed under increased traffic.

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