Source: Finlay McWalter

The art nouveau masterpiece, which opened in 1909, attracts around 20,000 visitors every year.

It is also reported that the building was housing final-year students¡¯ projects when the fire broke out shortly after midday on 23 May.

David Shrigley, the Turner Prize nominated artist who is an alumnus of the School, tweeted: ¡°It¡¯s not looking good¡­doesn¡¯t look like much will be saved¡±.

Scotland¡¯s first minister Alex Salmond said on Twitter that it was ¡°awful to see destruction of this iconic building and students work¡±.

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The singer Lily Allen said that the fire was ¡°devastating¡± while Fran Healy, singer for the band Travis, said it was ¡°super super sad this place which has been with Glasgow and with all the students is burning down¡±.

Muriel Gray, a former student and current chairwoman of the Glasgow School of Art was reported to have ¡°burst into tears¡± when she saw that the building was on fire.

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Iain Connelly, president of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, said in a statement that Scotland had lost ¡°an international treasure¡± which reflected the ¡°genius¡± of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, one of the country¡¯s ¡°greatest ever architects¡±, who designed the building.

¡°The whole of the architectural profession in Scotland will, I am sure, join with me in sending out a message to the students and staff of the school and all those who have been associated with this building over the decades, a message of sorrow and commiseration at this terrible, terrible news,¡± he said.

¡°It is too early to talk about what happens now, but the architectural profession in Scotland will do anything it can to help in any way,¡± he said.

The extent of the damage is so far unknown, but there have been reports it started in the basement and subsequently spread upwards through the building.

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david.matthews@tsleducation.com