Retailers, publicans and restaurants on one of Scotland's busiest streets fear the Art School fire will be a hammer blow for business.

The devastating fire on Friday is the second major blaze in the area in just three months.

In March a building housing Victoria's nightclub was destroyed and firefighters had to battle to prevent the flames spreading to the 114 year-old Pavilion Theatre.

The Art School fire, the second in four years, broke out less than half a mile away and has caused major disruption in the area.

The area nearby is popular with students and bars and takeaways and was anticipating a boost from the World Cup.

But on the second day of the tournament in Russia hopes of a summer spike in trading nosedived.

The Federation of Small Businesses is worried about the potential impact on its members in the weeks and months ahead.

Some traders fear they may have to lay staff off while residents and politicians have also expressed concern.

Dennis Waller is an executive chef at the Nova Group, which owns hotels, bars and restaurants in the city.

These include the Life pub and US-inspired diner Steak, Cattle & Roll.

Mr Waller told STV News said: "It is a big inconvenience but we understand the processes we need to go through.

"The restaurant was closed on Saturday and Sunday and Father's Day was a big revenue loss for us.

"Its also affected out reputation.

"We could not get access to our diaries and a lot of customers were unhappy."

He said some staff have been deployed to the company's other businesses while some have taken holidays.

Looking to the future, he said: "We are very concerned to be honest.

"We have spent about three years building the reputations of the restaurants and for them to be closed, with no customers going in, will be very, very traumatic for the business.

"Obviously it will affect our revenue and ultimately, long term, will we reopen and start there again, who knows?"

Mr Waller is also gravely concerned about the long term knock-on effects of the devastation at the O2 ABC, which was next to the Art School.

He added: "The ABC was huge in terms of customers for us.

"Hundreds of people would be queuing down the road.

"They then would come to us, before or after, for dinner.

"They are no longer going to be there, if they even rebuild it.

"It is going to have a massive, massive effect on the street."

Life and Steak, Cattle & Roll have around 20 staff each.

Mr Waller said: "That's 40 members of staff that I will have to place elsewhere or lay off.

"I am worried about that."

Individual anecdotes also highlight the scale of the disruption.

Biggars music shop has expressed concern for students who were due to come in to sit exams at its music school, which is in the same premises.

In the meantime, it is offering customers an online discount using the code LoveGlasgow.

A message on its website reads: "Thank you for your support as we support you!"

Among the restaurants affected is Deesserts on Sauchiehall Street, which played host to chart toppers Little Mix in November.

And STV heard one tradesman left his tools in a restaurant within the cordon and has had to hire new ones this week for a job in London.

In January work started on the £7.2m Sauchiehall Street Avenue project which will see the creation of a new two-way cycle lane and a space for seating, trees and planters.

But Jane Sutherland, chair of Garnethill Community Council, said that work will now be delayed as well.

She also highlighted the human aspect of the fire, which she described as "catastrophically worse" that the 2014 blaze.

Ms Sutherland said: "There is a lot of people traumatised.

"Although no one was hurt a few people got blistered from the fireballs that were falling from the sky.

"We were worried we were going to lose Garnethill."

She said the timing of the blaze could not be more cruel and hailed the restoration work, which she viewed recently, as "tremendous".

Ms Sutherland added: "I have never seen the Art School looking so beautiful.

"It was so close to being completed and they were taking the scaffolding down.

"We were looking forward to having the hill open, really open, again."

On the ground locals have complained about a lack of information from the council.

Individual tales of woe include a pensioner whose carers were apparently unable to make their four daily visits as they could not get access to her street.

In the end neighbours pitched in to help the woman.

A cat also had to be rescued from a home after being stranded over the weekend.

Local MSP Sandra White plans to table a question in the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday.

Francis McKee, director of the CCA, is locked out of the A-listed building which was designed by Alexander Greek Thomson.

It houses 22 different businesses and stages 1200 events a year which attract 340,000 people.

He said: "It is disastrous for us and many other organisations."

Colin Borland, FSB's head of devolved nations, said: "If you're in retail, or the pub or restaurant business, things are already tough.

"Rising costs, wafer-thin margins and cautious consumers make it hard to keep your head above water.

"On top of all that, the businesses at this end of town are already putting up with the extensive, long-term roadworks that have seen whole tracts of the street fenced off.

"We need to make sure that, while it's a bitter blow for Glasgow and Scotland's architectural and cultural heritage, this fire does not also claim good local businesses."

The FSB is calling on Glasgow City Council implement an emergency rates relief scheme for firms in the vicinity as enforced closure or reduced footfall may make it difficult for them to make rates payments.

Mr Borland added: "We also need to see some effective signage going up and good communication with traders.

"Good temporary signage - telling your customers what is open, not what's closed - can make a significant difference to footfall for retailers/hospitality businesses in areas facing disruption."

The owners of The Pavilion have invited all business owners and operators in the area to form a Business Task Force.

The body would help businesses and liaise with the Glasgow City Council task force and Building Control.

In an open letter it said: "We are sure, like the Pavilion Theatre, you are all struggling to get any information and access to your property.

"It has now been nearly 12 weeks that we have all been denied access and with the recent fire in the Art School, even more businesses are going to be affected, not forgetting all the businesses that continue to struggle with all the road closures and road works further up Sauchiehall Street.

"What we propose at this time is to have an open public meeting in view of putting together this task force and also invite members of the council along to give us an update of the current situation."

"We hope this meeting will assist and maybe give some answers and by putting this Business Task Force together, it may help to stop even more businesses going into administration and stop even more job losses in this area."

It hopes to bring together experts from a range of backgrounds at 7pm on Thursday in Exhibition Hall at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken said: "Our Business Support team has spent the day contacting as many businesses as they can to assess and understand the challenges they are facing.

"In many cases, the immediate problem is access - which unfortunately is unavoidable while the emergency response is ongoing.

"However, there is a process by which businesses who are in an exclusion zone can apply for a zero rating on business rates, for the period in which they can't operate.

"I'm encouraging anyone in that position to apply - and our officers will be able to give advice on how to do that."