A church in Glasgow city centre has been ruined by a blazing inferno that erupted early this morning.
The alarm was raised at 2.40am as the Roman Catholic Parish Church of St Simon caught fire.
Firefighters have urged nearby residents to keep their windows and doors closed while properties too close to the church have been evacuated.
Dramatic pictures show the church’s roof caved in and its stain glass window completely shattered. The cause of the blaze is still not known.
One witness wrote on social media: ‘We got woken up by walkie-talkie sounds, fiancé went out and the church across the bridge has been completely destroyed in a fire within half an hour. St Simon’s was beautiful to look at.’
Another said: ‘Just completely shocking and heartbreaking. No one’s hurt, surrounding flats are okay.’
One local resident told Glasgow Live that a ‘fire came from inside and broke out through the large stained glass at the front facade’, and that the roof collapsed at around 3.30am.
They said the church tender was evacuated with no injuries from her adjoining house, which is ‘under siege from the fire’.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service say more than 30 firefighters are at the scene on Patrick Bridge Street.
St Simon’s church was originally build in 1858 by Charles O’Neill, originally named St Peter’s, before a renovation in 1956.
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