SHOCKED residents have described an inferno that ravaged a 160-year-old church in Glasgow's West End in the early hours of this morning as "like a horror film".

Emergency services were called to St Simon’s Catholic Church on Partick Bridge Street, Partick at 2.40am after the blaze took hold.

Marc Gayne was one of the first people to alert the emergency services at the time of the fire.

The 26-year-old, who lives opposite the church on Partick Bridge Street, said: “It was about half past two. At that point, it [the church] just exploded and the windows all came out.

“We just woke up and our front room was red. The flames were coming through the front of the church and it was like a horror film.

“The full flat had to be evacuated and then the church’s front doors all kinda burst through."

Glasgow Times:

Pictures by Colin Mearns 

Photos and videos posted online showed the building completely ablaze, with flames engulfing the roof and stained glass windows of the Roman Catholic church.

“I phoned the fire brigade. They were here within two minutes and had it under control after about 20 minutes too,” Marc added.

“It was such a nice feature in the area – and now it’s just gone.”

Glasgow Times:

An eyewitness told the Glasgow Times how the roof of the church collapsed completely at around 3.30am.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue service confirmed six fire appliances were dispatched and crews were expected to remain at the site for some time.

Nearby homes were evacuated and one person was assisted from the building and given precautionary treatment at the scene.

The remains of the devastated church were still smouldering well into Wednesday morning as fire crews remained on the scene.

Glasgow Times:

Glasgow Times:

Robbie Devine, 45, who stays in tenement flats on the corner of Dumbarton Road and Partick Bridge Street, said: “Just before three o’clock in the morning, I heard someone shouting, ‘Fire! Fire!’.

“It was weird because I was with my girlfriend through in Airdrie when a fire broke out at the weekend. I thought I might have been dreaming that it was happening again.

“Then I heard the fire engines and when I looked out the whole thing was ablaze.”

The Archdiocese of Glasgow said it was a "sad end for a much-loved" church.

Built in 1858, St Simon's is the third oldest Catholic church in the city, after Glasgow Cathedral and St Mary's church in Glasgow’s East End.

Rev Deacon James Kernaghan, 77, from St Peters and St Simon's Church, said: “St Simon’s has been a focal point in Partick for more than 160 years.

“The sad thing is, it was more or less in tip top condition after being renovated about ten years ago.

“What can I say? It’s a moment of shell-shock.”

Glasgow Times:

Glasgow Times:

The parish church was completely restored between 2005 and 2008 for its 150th anniversary after Heritage Scotland paid out a £200,000 grant, which was matched by fundraising from the congregation.

St Simon’s has strong links to the Glasgow’s Polish community which date back to World War Two when it was used by Polish soldiers based at the nearby Yorkhill Barracks.

Julian Kempinski, 67, originally from Poland, said: “After the war, Polish soldiers attended their first mass here in 1946, I think.

“Ever since then, we’ve always come to this chapel.

“There are no words. It’s sad. So, so sad.”

Two masses are still delivered in Polish by a priest each weekend.

Julian, of Garrowhill, explained how he moved to Scotland 42 years ago and had attended the Partick church ever since.

Visibly upset, he added: “I was just here for mass on Sunday. That could have been my last time in that church and I didn’t even know.

“Something about this isn’t right. I think it could’ve been started deliberately.”

Other residents at the scene, who wished to remain anonymous, believed the blaze may have been a targeted attack.

The church was previously trashed by vandals, as we reported in 2019.

Police said the incident was not thought to be sectarian related or a hate crime offence.

There was significant damage to the inside of the church, including the altar area, and a shrine to Our Lady of Częstochowa, which has been in the church since the 1940s and is reflective of the Polish parishioners who attend mass in their native language.

Ieva Cleghorn, who lives on nearby Argyle Street, said: “My family used to come here for mass but we haven’t been since lockdown started.

“We always wanted to come back, because it’s a lovely little place with very nice people, but now this has happened.”

The 31-year-old Lithuanian shared fond memories of attending the church when she was a student.

Ieva added: “I remember, years ago, young girls sang at mass with guitars. A lot of young people would come along on Sunday nights.

“It had such a nice atmosphere. It wasn’t like an old-school mass – it was youthful and engaging.

“It was definitely more than just a church. It’s just so sad.”

Glasgow Times:

Mary McGinty, journalist at The Irish Voice, said: “It’s a sore loss, it really is. This church is very much at the heart of Catholic Partick.

“St Simon’s has its own special character and it’s greatly beloved by all of us.

“All of us, as a parish community of faith, will rally round to support where we can."

She added: “Our hearts are really going out to the Polish community, especially for the ones who came here in the post-war years. They are very regular attenders here.

“For Father Marion [Lekawa], our Polish priest, he’s been here since ‘sometime in the last century’, as he likes to say.

“So, we feel it for him and of course we feel it for ourselves.

“It’s a very sore day and a really, really sore loss.”

Police Scotland said that enquiries into the cause of the fire continue.