Paisley road to remain closed after tenement building blaze

A busy Paisley road remained closed yesterday after a huge fire ripped through a tenement building at the weekend.

Emergency services including police and firefighters rushed to Well Street just before 1am on Saturday following reports of a ‘derelict’ building up in flames.

The road was closed from Well Street to Brown Street while fire crews battled the blaze and motorists were advised to avoid the area.

The road was still closed yesterday as the Paisley Daily Express understands there were concerns regarding the safety of the building and to allow police to carry out further enquiries.

The raging blaze ripped through the top floor of the building which is understood to have been empty at the time.

Emergency services worked tirelessly to bring the fire under control as well as its devastating aftermath.

The cause of the blaze remains unclear at this stage with police confirming there are no reported injuries.

Local resident James Lawson told the Paisley Daily Express how the area is a “sight for sore eyes.”

He said: “If it’s not constant roadworks in the area making the place a nightmare, it’s now roads being closed because these old buildings are going to fall down.

“Well Street, Wellmeadow Street and Underwood Lane are sights for sore eyes. Every other tenement is empty and every other shop unit is closed down. It’s a miracle any of the remaining businesses are making a living. It is an area of constant chaos, it’s such a shame.

“The council are planning to knock these buildings down, I say they should just get on with it.

“The derelict buildings in Ferguslie soon became a target for yobs to set on fire and vandalise, that will soon happen here and in my view, it’s likely someone will get hurt in the process.”

This incident comes less than a week after a nearby recycling plant in Linwood went on fire.

People in Renfrewshire were last Sunday told to stay indoors following the outbreak of an explosive fire at an electrical and battery recycling treatment facility.

The dramatic blaze at the Enva site began spewing out thick plumes of smoke around 9pm last Sunday night.

The Express previously reported how the west end of Paisley will be transformed as part of the regeneration masterplan set out by the council and its housing association partner Sanctuary Scotland.

Around 150 new private and social homes are set to be developed as part of a plan to breathe new life into the West End and create stronger links to the town centre.

Part of the regeneration included the demolition of a dangerous “eyesore”.

In January, a block at the corner of Well Street and Underwood Lane was demolished – a step Renfrewshire Council deemed “necessary for safety reasons”.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 12.47am on Saturday, June 29, to reports of a dwelling fire at Well Street, Paisley.

“Operations Control mobilised six fire appliances and one height vehicle and firefighters extinguished a fire affecting a top floor and roof space of a four-storey tenement building.

“There were no reported casualties and crews left after ensuring the area was made safe.”

Police Scotland confirmed their attendance and advised enquiries are “ongoing to establish the cause of the fire.”

A Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: “A temporary road closure has been put in place following a fire at 30 Well Street, Paisley.

“The closure will remain in place until structural engineers have carried out their assessments and completed any works required to make the property safe.”

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