Dozens of people were cordoned off from their Possilpark homes as police and fire crews dealt with a blaze high up in the building, at around 2pm on Friday, January 16, 2026.
Wester Common Road was partially sealed off as five fire engines raced to the street, where cops will be on the scene “for the foreseeable” as their enquiries are ongoing.
The blaze started on the 15th floor (Image: Donald Erskine)
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Residents were evacuated (Image: Donald Erskine)
A specialist aerial fire engine was also dispatched to the upper-floor blaze, as a police incident commander and CID officers were seen inside the building, and armed police were scrambled nearby.
A local told the Glasgow Times: “There’s been a fire on the 15th floor, we haven’t been allowed back in.
“We’re all frozen out here and have no idea when we’ll get back in.”
Those who stay on the 15th floor will not be allowed back into their homes due to smoke damage and an ongoing police investigation.
A police incident commander was on the scene, as well as CID (Image: Donald Erskine)
The Police Scotland incident commander told the Glasgow Times at the scene: “This was an isolated incident on the 15th floor of the block of flats.
“There’s no threat to the wider public.
“Due to the smoke damage, residents on the floor will be displaced as enquiries continue”
Cops at the scene confirmed that “there will be officers here for the foreseeable.”
He also commended the fire service and the housing association for their assistance.
Some residents were allowed back into their flats just before 4pm, but one local said he was concerned for his “four cats stuck in his flat on the 15th floor.”
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People were allowed back into their homes around 4pm (Image: Donald Erskine)
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 2pm on Friday, 16 January 2026, we received a report of a fire at a property on Wester Common Road, Glasgow.
“There were no reports of any injuries.
“A 54-year-old man has been arrested, and enquiries are ongoing.”
The Glasgow Times understands that armed police were spotted nearby on Bardowie Street and scrambled in relation to the incident.
Officers, when asked about the source of the fire, repeated that “enquiries are ongoing.”
A spokesperson from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said:“ The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is at the scene of a building fire in Wester Common Road, Glasgow.
“The incident is ongoing, five appliances and an aerial appliance were mobilised.”
Queens Cross Housing Association has been approached for comment.