James Watt Street fire
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| Date | 18 November 1968 |
|---|---|
| Time | 10:30 |
| Duration | 10:30 AM -3 PM |
| Location | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Deaths | 22 |
| Property damage | Destruction of factory due to fire |
The James Watt Street fire on Monday, 18 November 1968, was a fatal factory fire in Glasgow, Scotland, with 22 employees killed.[1] The number of fatalities was a consequence of the building retaining barred windows, a feature remaining from its previous use as a whisky bond. Around 100 firemen from Glasgow Fire Service attended this incident, which reinforced Glasgow's reputation for tragic fires in the 30 years after the Second World War.
Many of these fires resulted from poor building standards, with many premises being modified from their original purpose. Glasgow city centre did not suffer from wartime bombing to the extent of other British cities, and consequently, many industrial premises were still of nineteenth-century origin, and were located in cramped and narrow streets.
The factory premises was located in James Watt Street, a street between Argyle Street and the Broomielaw on the north side of the River Clyde. The building consisted of a ground, first, and second floors, with basement. Julius and Samuel Stern ran the upholstery business, B Stern Ltd., on the upper floors.[1] A glass company, G. Bryce, occupied the basement and part of the ground floor.[1] The building had previously been used as a whisky bond (a warehouse used for storage before excise duty has been paid) and, in common with many of Glasgow's industrial premises, had seen numerous changes of use. The previous use of the building involved high security measures including barred windows, meaning that, in the event of a fire, escape could be compromised. In the following enquiry, it was discovered that the doors to the fire escape were locked from the inside.