Homes evacuated amid tyre blaze in Glasgow

• At the scene in Glasgow's south side today. Picture: PA

The blaze started in a lock-up garage in Fairley Street in the Govan area of Glasgow just before 8am and spread to residential properties in nearby Ibrox Terrace.

Around 30 people were evacuated from nearby properties and were taken to the Ibrox Library and Learning Centre.

At the height of the incident about 60 fire service personnel and eight fire engines were at the scene, bringing the blaze under control by early afternoon.

The fire near Rangers' Ibrox Stadium produced vast volumes of thick black acrid smoke which rose hundreds of feet into the air over the south of Glasgow.

Local residents were advised to stay indoors and keep their windows closed as a precaution.

Office workers who had been evacuated from buildings within the police cordon watched the smoke clouds billowing from the blaze.

Kenny Brown, a 54-year-old accountant with the firm Harsco on Copland Road, said: "We were asked to leave at around 8.45am. I could smell the smoke in the building.

"There were gas canister explosions. There were windows blown in on some of the flats.

"The first bang we heard we thought 'what was that?'. We were told it was a gas canister, so that was quite scary. One person said they could see the smoke as far away as Prestwick."

Nearby roads were closed while emergency services dealt with the incident.

Strathclyde Fire and Rescue said that the fire service would remain at the scene. They will carry out a joint investigation with Strathclyde Police to determine the cause of the blaze.

There were no reported injuries to either members of the public or emergency service personnel.