Disruption continues after 'challenging' Glasgow fire

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Roads remain closed after a major blaze "devastated" shops and restaurants in Glasgow's southside. About 60 firefighters and 12 appliances tackled the fire in Seaward Street, in the Kinning Park area, after the alarm was raised just after 03:30. At the height of the fire a huge plume of smoke could be seen from across the River Clyde. Seaward Street was closed to traffic between Paisley Road West and the M8 eastbound off-slip to Scotland Street. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said there were no reported casualties. The traffic disruption hit drivers both during the morning and evening rush hours. Garry Mackay, area commander at the fire service, said the "challenging" fire had been contained by crews. BBC journalist Linda Sinclair said the roof of the large building had collapsed. There are fears the front of the building might also give way. The affected properties on Seaward Street include a furniture and flooring showroom, a locksmith, a function suite and a Middle Eastern restaurant. In a Facebook post, Modish Furnishing said: "A fire tore through the buildings on our street in Kinning Park in the early hours of this morning. Unfortunately our showroom has been devastated." The Dojo, a martial arts centre on Seaward Lane, is one of the buildings closed by the fire. Instructor Mike McCusker tweeted: "Although the Hokushin Honbu Dojo is untouched by this incident the road remains closed and we will not have access today. We should be back to normal tomorrow." Mr MacKay said: "This was a complex and challenging incident with significant fire spread and crews worked hard to prevent further spread to neighbouring properties. "We are now confident we have contained the blaze and are scaling back our response." He said the fire service was working with police to manage traffic. Skip Twitter post by @KatieHunterBBC Katie Hunter ✔ @KatieHunterBBC Still 30+ firefighters at Seaward Street. No injuries but traffic disruption expected for a while yet. Embedded video 9 10:43 AM - Dec 16, 2019 Twitter Ads info and privacy See Katie Hunter's other Tweets Report End of Twitter post by @KatieHunterBBC Power was cut from the area for several hours, affecting traffic lights and leaving dozens of businesses and homes without electricity. Scottish Power Energy Networks said the emergency shutdown, which affected properties in Admiral Street and the surrounding area, was requested at 08:28 by the emergency services and ended shortly before 18:00. Image copyrightMILES CHICOINE The fire is the third serious blaze near the centre of Glasgow within a week. Last Monday dozens of flats in the Lancefield Quay area were evacuated and about 40 firefighters tackled a blaze in Pitt Street in the early hours of Sunday. Investigations into all three are ongoing. They are not being linked.