Strathclyde students face weeks of upheaval following campus fire

Hundreds of students at the University of Strathclyde are to see classes relocated for the foreseeable future after the institution confirmed the James Weir Building will be out of commission for a number of weeks in the wake of this week's fire.

Three departments – Design, Manufacture and Engineering Management, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Chemical and Process Engineering – and the Scottish Universities Insight Institute, which are housed within the Glasgow-based building, have been cordoned off to students and staff as Strathclyde Fire and Rescue continue investigations into the cause.

More than twenty fire vehicles were called to the university on Tuesday evening after a blaze – believed to have started on the third floor where the Department of Chemical Engineering labs are based – broke out, culminating in the evacuation of four buildings.

Classes inside James Weir have been cancelled for the rest of this week, albeit plans are in place to relocate affected classes to alternative accommodation from Monday February 13.

The fire – which has reportedly left the fourth floor, containing lecture and seminar rooms, structurally unstable, the third floor worst affected, the second suffering water damage and the fifth and sixth smoke damage – has prompted concerns over the safety of exam scripts potentially stored inside James Weir, though students have been assured resits will not have to take place.

An email sent to fourth year students within the Department of Chemical Engineering said: "Exam results will be released in due course. However, if it would happen that any results have been lost there would be of course no need to resit respective exams and appropriate arrangements would be put in place. These would be communicated to students as relevant."

Control of James Weir is expected to be handed back to the University from Monday with a controlled recovery of possessions left inside the building to be carried out. Students have been advised to contact their department with the details of possessions left and their precise location.

A statement sent to all students at the higher education institution tonight said: "The staff of the University are working together to minimise disruption and maintain continuity of teaching, research and knowledge exchange activities. An alternative timetable is being put in place and classes will resume progressively from Monday.

"As well as ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff, the teaching of students and their academic progress is our priority, and we will ensure that all students' studies continue without further interruption.

"The building is currently in the control of the emergency services. We anticipate having it handed back to the University by Monday, but we cannot be certain at this stage. It is too early to say what the cause of the fire is, but the University is liaising with Strathclyde Fire and Rescue in their investigation.

"When the building is handed back access to it will be strictly controlled during the clean-up and recovery phase. The University will do all it can to ensure that, wherever possible, people's belongings and work is recovered, but this may take time. Further details on this will follow by Monday."