Fire chief praises rescue teams

Firemaster Brian Sweeney praised those involved in the rescue effort

Strathclyde's Firemaster has paid tribute to his crews for their dedication to the rescue operation at the factory explosion in Maryhill.

Brian Sweeney said he was proud of the professionalism shown by firemen at the scene of the blast - which killed nine people and injured around fifty more.

Mr Sweeney told BBC Scotland's Sunday Live programme his heart was with the families who have lost loved ones.

A formal investigation is continuing into the cause of the blast.

Mr Sweeney said: "It has just been an absolutely exceptional week - I have never had a week like this in my professional career.

"It's been a very sad and sombre week in which I feel very proud of my firefighters and my heart is with all the families who have lost loved ones."

The body of Timothy Smith, 31, was recovered from the rubble on Friday, nearly three days to the minute after the explosion at Stockline Plastics.

GLASGOW BLAST VICTIMS Margaret Brownlie, 49, Strathaven Annette Doyle, 34, Glasgow Peter Ferguson, 52, Kilbarchan Thomas McAulay, 41, Mount Florida, Glasgow Stewart McColl, 60, West Kilbride Tracey McErlane, 27, Possilpark, Glasgow Kenneth Murray, 45, Paisley Timothy Smith, 31, Johnstone Ann Trench, 34, Colston, Glasgow

Rescue crews were "devastated" after toiling in the hope of finding Mr Smith alive in the debris.

Mr Sweeney had described it as the most heart-rending moment of his entire career.

At the time, Mr Sweeney was paying his respects at a memorial service for the 14 elderly people who died in a nursing home blaze in Uddingston last January.

He said: "We're trained to deal with tragedy by just blocking it out but when I took that call a week of pressure just suddenly overtook me.

"I've never been there emotionally and I really don't want to go there again. I just felt immense sorrow for his family and for everyone who'd lost loved ones."

Three survivors of Tuesday's blast at Grovepark Street remained in a serious condition while 14 people were stable at hospitals across Glasgow.

Mr Sweeney said the gas ovens at the factory, which victims of the disaster have fingered as the cause of the explosion, would be a "key line of inquiry".

But he said the formal investigation launched yesterday into the cause could take months, not least because the ovens remain buried beneath hundreds of tonnes of rubble.

Detective Superintendent Jim Porteous said the police investigation would be "full and thorough".

Scotland's senior law officer, Lord Advocate Colin Boyd QC, said there would be an "appropriate" inquiry which would be public but it was too early to say exactly what form it would take.