THE Glasgow School of Art (GSA) was a “fire trap waiting to happen”, the Holyrood Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee has been told.

The committee heard yesterday from witnesses who have extensive knowledge of the building – which suffered a a devastating fire in June as reconstruction following an earlier blaze in 2014 neared completion – and discussed what led to the two devastating fires.

They agreed the building should be reconstructed and an expert panel should be set up to oversee this, but were split on whether lessons had been learned from the 2014 fire and what the refurbished building should be used for. They also agreed to invite representatives from the GSA to give evidence at a future committee meeting.

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Charles Rennie Mackintosh scholar Roger Billcliffe said the building was a “fire trap waiting to happen” due to construction including air vents which acted as chimneys and warned a further blaze would occur if the building is rebuilt.

He argued students should not return to the building and said “nobody knows” whether lessons were learned from the earlier fire as a fire service report was redacted. He also claimed the art school had “not said a word”.

Speaking after the meeting, convener Joan McAlpine MSP said that Scotland lost a “masterpiece of global significance” when the building was destroyed by fire.

She added: “The committee will be taking further evidence, including inviting representatives from the Glasgow School of Art, in order to bring greater transparency and clarity to this issue.

“While it is for expert investigators to tell us the cause of the fire, there are wider issues about the conservation and custodianship of Mackintosh’s building and artworks and we believe as a committee it is right that we shine a light on these matters. Our witnesses today were very clear that lessons were not learned from the first fire.”

A GSA spokesman said: “The GSA consulted extensively about the future of the Mackintosh Building following the fire in 2014 and had concluded it had to stick by Mackintosh’s design and that determination has not changed. As far as we are concerned that decision made in 2014 has just been interrupted following the fire in June. The Mackintosh Building was commissioned and designed as an art school and GSA is fully committed to it returning as a working art school.”