INVESTIGATORS are working to determine what ignited the huge fire which brought chaos Glasgow City Centre as they confirmed fumes would pose no risk to public health and surrounding streets would remain closed.

ROADS surrounding the scene of the Sauchiehall Street blaze are expected to remain closed over the weekend.

More than 30 firefighters remained on the scene yesterday to completely extinguish the blaze which destroyed a four storey building.

Investigators confirmed that there is no risk to public health following fears that asbestos may have been contained within the building.

Hope Street between Bath Street and Renfield Street and Renfield Street between streets Bath and Renfrew., Renfrew Street (westbound) between West Nile Street and Renfield Street have been closed since Thursday morning.

Alternative bus routes are expected to be put in place by Monday at the latest following the cordon being secured by fire officials.

Leader of Glasgow City Council, Susan Aitken, visited the scene to pay tribute to the valiant efforts of firefighters.

“As soon as the incident began, they have been here and done the most phenomenal job to prevent the fire from spreading, to protect surrounding buildings, to protect life and limb,” she said.

“With an incident of this seriousness, we only had four very minor injuries with smoke inhalation.

“It’s been our firefighters and police who have led it. We are standing behind them. Once they have left the scene it is the council’s job to inspect the scene, to work for continuity for businesses and for people who use this part of Sauchiehall Street.

“The council resilience team kicked in immediately after the incident was reported. The council’s role in this particular circumstance is the care of people so our immediate job was to get accommodation ready for those who have to get evacuated.

“There are residents in the wider area who were affected.

“Our building control officers have been in regular contact with the firefighters and, when it is safe to do so, there will be a decision made about what happens next and how long that might take.

“Our business team sprung into action for all the traders in the area, particularly those on this block to help them deal with this situation whether its insurance or staff payments. They are there to provide support and advice and to restore normality as soon as possible.

“Our staff are working to put alternative bus routes in place, as soon as the position of the cordon is fixed.”

Officer Lewis Ramsay, the fire service Director of Response and Resilience, added: “There is still a lot of work to be done on the ground to ensure that this fire is completely extinguished.

“We will remain on the scene for as long as it takes and we are absolutely committed to preventing any further damage to surrounding properties and ensuring the area is made safe.

“The fire took hold in several commercial properties, including a nightclub on one of Glasgow’s most iconic streets, causing extensive damage to a four storey block.

“This was an incredibly difficult and complex incident – but the actions of our firefighters were and continue to be outstanding.

“This is a historic area of Glasgow - through our aggressive intervention and planning we were able to protect iconic buildings, such as the Pavilion Theatre, from significant damage.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the hotels, businesses and people of Glasgow who opened their doors to our firefighters and our emergency service partners for their invaluable and continued support.”

The Pavilion Theatre, which was saved by saved by firefighters, was forced to cancel all shows scheduled to take place this weekend.

Iain Gordon, the venue’s general manager, said shows due to take place this weekend will have to be rescheduled.

Comedian Ed Byrne’s show on Friday, A Vision of Elvis on Saturday and Madness singer Suggs on March 25, have all been put on hold while the extent of damage to surrounding properties is established.

Mr Gordon said it was only “due to the dedicated and experienced Fire and Rescue staff” that the Pavilion survived the fire.

As previously reported by the Evening Times, firefighters smashed their way into the historic theatre and managed to dampen the building to save it from the fire.

In a statement posted online, the Pavilion boss added: “The amount of smoke that has entered the building and is currently still very visible inside could possibly take weeks to clear and we feel that it would be very uncomfortable and worrying if customers were watching a show with this sort of smell lingering throughout the theatre.

“Currently, with as much smoke still inside, the fire alarm cannot be reset and detectors and the system will all require to be checked before rearming.

“Inside the theatre, there is a considerable amount of ash and black dust and due to the warnings given by Fire and Rescue about asbestos in the air, we cannot allow staff or customers back in prior to the air/dust being tested by a specialist and confirmed to be safe and if necessary, cleaned and disposed of properly.

“We also need to ensure that there has been no damage due to the excessive heat to our roof and gable end of the theatre and again, this will take a day or two to get reports carried out properly by structural engineers.”

The safety of the building ravaged by the fire is causing a great deal of concern for the theatre as their fire exits are located in the lane nearby and could be blocked if demolition takes place.

Workers are currently unable to gain access into the box office with attempts being made to divert phone lines elsewhere.