Glasgow Art School fire: Sprinklers ‘were NOT fully fitted’

They can also be fitted in buildings throughout construction on a temporary basis “as there is a considerable risk from fire during this period,” said the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association (BAFSA).

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The shocking revelation from the the UK’s leading professional trade association for the fire sprinkler industry comes as calls for a public inquiry into the fire that gutted the world-renowned Mackintosh Building are rejected as premature.

In a statement, BAFSA described its upset at the fact the world-famous Glasgow School of Art “has been ravaged by fire for the second time in four years.”

The team said: “The tragic loss of this heritage building in the 150th anniversary year of Charles Rennie MacKintosh’s birth makes the disaster even more poignant.

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“As the building was still undergoing refurbishment, it is understood automatic fire sprinklers had not yet been fully fitted.

“However, it should be realised that sprinklers can be fitted in buildings throughout construction on a temporary basis, as there is a considerable risk from fire during this period.”

Both UK Scottish Secretary David Mundell and Scotland’s Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said fire service investigations into the cause of the blaze should be allowed to progress before any other decision is taken.

Around 50 firefighters are still at the scene of the blaze, which broke out on Friday night, engulfing the Charles Rennie Mackintosh masterpiece and spreading to nearby buildings including the popular music venue the O2 ABC.

A few pockets of fire remain at the site with crews using thermal imaging cameras to identify any remaining hot spots.

The blaze is the second in four years to hit the Mackintosh Building, which was undergoing a multimillion-pound restoration project to return it to its former glory.