A Paisley resident has described the shock of watching a huge fire rip through a historic building metres away from his house.

As previously reported, emergency crews were called to a fire at a Category B listed building on Stevenson Street in Paisley just after 2.30am on August 1.

The building was a former nursing home constructed in 1874 that had been disused for a number of years, though planning permission to convert it into a housing in multiple occupancy (HMO) was granted in April 2023.

Emergency vehicles rushed to the sceneEmergency vehicles rushed to the scene (Image: Selina Sharma)

Grish Sharma, who has lived across from the listed building for 14 years, described being woken in the night by emergency vehicles.

“I was woken up by the flashing blue lights from fire engines coming through the window,” he said. “I wondered what it was, so I looked out the window and I could see big flames.

“It's literally across the street from my house, so I could see it all. We could smell the fire as well.

“You could see the flames coming out of the roof. The whole roof is burnt away now. It’s completely gone. There’s no roof left.”

Mr Sharma was woken by the flashing lightsMr Sharma was woken by the flashing lights (Image: Selina Sharma)

Grish watched with his family as the shocking events unfolded.

“My daughter Selina and my wife were watching as well,” he said. “It was scary for everyone.

“The whole building was on fire, and we were concerned that the fire could spread, or that the building could collapse.”

Grish was also concerned for his van, which was parked on the main road next to the inferno.

“I was scared about my van getting damaged,” he said. “I didn’t know if the building was going to fall.

“The police put a cover over my van to protect it from the smoke and ash. The dust was going everywhere - it’s all over my driveway and my daughter’s car as well.”

The blaze continued into the morningThe blaze continued into the morning (Image: Selina Sharma)

The roof appeared to be badly damagedThe roof appeared to be badly damaged (Image: Colin Mearns) The fire ripped through the historic former nursing homeThe fire ripped through the historic former nursing home (Image: Colin Mearns) Emergency services remained at the site throughout the dayEmergency services remained at the site throughout the day (Image: Colin Mearns)

Emergency services remained on the scene throughout the day, and confirmed that fortunately no one was injured in the blaze. Police Scotland said an investigation into the fire is underway.