By Deirdre Kelly BBC News Online Scotland

The effects of the fire were described as devastating

The tragedy happened in the early hours of Saturday at Rosepark Nursing Home in Uddingston where 40 elderly men and women lived.

Firefighters and staff brought as many residents as they could into the wet and cold night air.

Those who had survived were bewildered and frightened, but most importantly they were safe.

Many victims of the blaze, which spread only a couple of feet, died in their beds.

They were overcome by fumes from what was described as a small but intense fire.

Helpline calls

Away from the nursing home, family liaison officers were telling the worst news possible to those relatives whose mothers, fathers, grandmothers or grandfathers died in the fire.

A helpline number has been taking hundreds of calls from concerned family and friends but back at the fire scene things were calm.

The road was cordoned off and there were few people about.

The blaze broke out in a cupboard overnight

Just two fire engines and an incident unit sat outside the modern nursing home.

At a sombre news conference, Chief Inspector Tom Buchan shook his head in disbelief that a small fire could cause such devastation.

The women who had opened up the community centre where the media briefing was being held were ashen-faced.

One said she could not believe what she had heard on the early morning bulletins.

"To wake up to that kind of news is very hard to take in," she said.

Shocked community

A makeshift notice had been stuck on the door directing journalists into "the media centre".

Fire and police chiefs outlined the extent of the tragedy.

Strathclyde firemaster Jeff Ord said lessons would be learned in order to stop such a tragedy happening again.

For the relatives of those who died, the shock of what had happened will only just be sinking in.