A serious fire has closed the main west coast rail line near Glasgow as the armed forces in Scotland faced their first major test of the firefighters' strike.

Two of the Army's Green Goddess fire tenders extinguished the blaze at a disused garage close to the line near Rutherglen.

However, a 200 metre exclusion has been introduced because of fears that gas cylinders may have been heated by the fire.

Strike dates

13-15 November Starts and ends at 1800 GMT 22-30 November Starts/ends 0900 4-12 December Starts/ends 0900 16-24 December Starts/ ends 0900

That also means that staff cannot get access to repair an electrical fault which has affected signalling on the line.

The blaze was the first serious incident in Scotland after firefighters across the country walked out at 1800 GMT on Wednesday.

It is expected that the line, which carries Virgin and ScotRail sleeper services to London as well as local suburban services, will remain closed for 24 hours.

All services south of Glasgow will experience disruption as a result of the closure.

Meanwhile, Strathclyde Police has also warned that it will come down hard on hoaxers after receiving almost 259 calls in the first two hours of the strike - of which 239 were malicious.

There have been dozens of other call-outs across Scotland after fire crews began their first national strike in 25 years.

Emergency statement

Pay talks between the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and the UK Government broke down after the union, which is demanding a 40% pay rise, rejected a 11% offer recommended by an independent review.

Scotland's deputy first minister urged the firefighters to call off the strike when he delivered an emergency statement to MSPs.

Jim Wallace said it was "vital" that all sides should continued constructive dialogue to reach a settlement which was fair to firefighters and the public.

The garage is near the rail line

However, FBU Scotland divisional chairman Stewart Kinning said the strike was a last resort.

Speaking in Glasgow, Mr Kinning said: "There is not a single firefighter who wants to go on strike. We are a professional service, we want to save lives.

"The government and our employers have put us in this position."

About 6,500 firefighters are taking part in the strike north of the border. They would normally have access to 580 state-of-the-art appliances.

Mr Wallace said that 1,800 military personnel would be operating out of 48 temporary fire stations across Scotland during the strike.

Contingency plans

The operation includes 110 Green Goddesses, 36 breathing apparatus rescue teams and eight regional equipment support teams.

Mr Wallace said contingency plans had been drawn up at national, regional and local level.

"During the next two days of strikes, the Scottish Executive Emergencies Room will be open, staffed by executive officials and with representatives from the police, military and the fire inspectorate," he told MSPs.

Fire facts

Scotland has 4,588 full-time firefighters 2,799 part-time firefighters 1,200 volunteer firefighters 520 fire engines 30 aerial appliances 14 rescue and emergency vehicles 59 other specialist vehicles 109 Green Goddesses will be used in Scotland

"Through this facility we will have a direct link to the joint command and control centre in Stirling."

The police are monitoring all emergency calls and will confirm that a fire is serious before calling in the armed forces.

A special ministerial group will meet on each day of the strike action to assess the contingency plans.

Mr Wallace will also take part in Cobra, the Whitehall committee set up to co-ordinate UK contingency measures.

First Minister Jack McConnell delayed a trip to take part in a meeting of devolved European states in Tuscany so that he can monitor the initial stages of the strike.

The Scottish Emergencies Co-ordinating Committee, which includes local authorities and the military, has already met in Edinburgh.

Fire safety

Mr Wallace also urged the public to take extra care with fire safety during the dispute.

With 80% of fire deaths taking place in the home, people are being asked to take extra care with things like chip pans and cigarettes.

Thousands of leaflets are being distributed across the country giving advice on fire safety.

Many businesses and local authorities have reviewed their safety procedures and held evacuation drills.