By Phoebe Clark

The fallout the Union Street fire is to cost the Scottish taxpayer £10m.

Funds in aid of small businesses effected by the inferno on Glasgow’s Union Corner building have been open since Monday.

Glasgow City Council has rolled out The Fire Recovery Fund with £10m of funding from the Scottish Government, in the hopes to support those who have lost their livelihoods from the catastrophic blaze earlier this month.

The fire which began on Sunday 8 March and quickly became out of control engulfed the iconic Union Street building along with a wealth of small businesses located inside.

Approximately 71 businesses were directly affected by the fire, leaving hairdressers, tattoo artists, nail technicians and many others who are self-employed without supplies or a location to work.

The Fire Recovery Fund is set to help those affected who have also not been able to continue regular contact or appointments with their customers as a direct result of the fire.

Those involved have been able to apply for financial assistance since the beginning of this week, in the hopes that direct support from both the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council will set the wheels into motion for businesses to begin their recovery process.

Businesses located within Forsyth House, as well as the surrounding premises affected by the inferno will be eligible for this support.

Fire lasting multiple days consumes Union Street [Image: Getty Images]

Other businesses that were located within the initial safety cordon placed in the city on 8 March, as well as the updated safety cordon will also be able to apply for the funding.

Funding support for those affected will be calculated in three levels.

£25,000 will be awarded to businesses who lost their premises within Forsyth House, an iconic building which has stood in Scotland’s largest city since 1851.

£15,000 will also be awarded to businesses within the current safety cordon in Glasgow City Centre, and £2,000 awarded to businesses located within the initial safety cordon on 8 March.

Shona Robson, Finance and Local Government Secretary said: "As soon as the full impact of this devastating fire became clear, the First Minister promised that the Scottish Government would provide immediate help for businesses and support their longer-term recovery.

"Alongside Glasgow City Council, we have designed a scheme that delivers on both these aims. It enables businesses to access financial help quickly while ensuring support reaches those most in need. By doing so, we are taking the first steps towards rebuilding and renewing this important part of Glasgow city centre, a process to which we have promised up to £10 million."

The fire, which is believed to have started in the premises of a vape shop on Union Street, also meant that train services from Glasgow Central Station, the largest train station in the country came to a complete halt for several days.

Train services have now partly resumed in Central Station, however parts of the station connected to the Union Street entrance are still not in operation until further notice.

Onlookers could only watch as Forsyth House, which had survived two world wars burned to the ground in a matter of a few hours, taking with it a piece of Glasgow’s culture and history.

The fire captured the attention of news outlets around the world, reaching as far as Australia and the United States.

Susan Aitken, leader of Glasgow City Council said: "It was very clear, even as the catastrophic fire at Union Street was still burning, that this incident was going to have a huge impact on a really wide variety of businesses - including a great number of small and independent businesses - in our city centre. Supporting them has been a key priority for the city - and opening this Fire Recovery Fund, with the backing of the Scottish Government, is a really significant step.

"We're already in contact with many of the eligible businesses, but we hope to hear from traders as soon as possible so we can do what we can to help them get back in business.”

Applications for businesses to The Fire Recovery Fund will be closed on 5 April 2026 and can be made through Glasgow City Council’s website.

Recovery fund open to businesses in the aftermath of Union Street fire