More than 60 children and 25 staff members had a narrow escape after a fire ripped through a private school.
Flames engulfed the roof of the Glasgow Steiner Primary and Infant School in Yorkhill, Glasgow yesterday.
There were no injuries as the children, who are aged between three and 12, were outside on a morning break.
Firefighters using breathing apparatus were hoisted on platforms close to the blaze which left a tower collapsed and debris on cars below. Watch the video below.
Video by Colin Mearns.
The streets surrounding the building were cordoned off as 55 firefighters from 10 fire engines fought the blaze.
The school was evacuated and children and staff gathered in a local community centre and sheltered housing.
School manager Kathryn Turner said: "Thank God there were no children inside.
"We are a very tight-knit school community and the only Steiner school in the west of Scotland. It is more than a school. It is a way of life, a community, and the building is part of that community and for children to stand and watch their school burn down is very traumatic. I don't think you can put into words what that building meant.
"When the alarm went off my initial reaction was 'it is a practice', but it soon became obvious it wasn't."
The children were sent home until after the Easter break and the school board will meet to decide what action to take after the holidays.
Local man William Melville, 66, who had attended the school, added: "It is an old building. I heard fire engines but I thought it was far away because the smoke was getting blown everywhere."
Fire crews from Yorkhill, Maryhill and Polmadie were called to the fire in the first-floor classroom of the school.
An investigation has been launched into the cause by Strathclyde Fire and Rescue's Incident Research and Investigation Unit and police.
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