Bradford blaze brings city-centre chaos

Nearby roads were cordoned off and a hotel evacuated after the fire broke out at 6.15pm and quickly took hold in the building at the junction of Thornton Road and Tetley Street.

More than 50 firefighters tackled the blaze at its height as they fought for nearly three hours to bring the flames under control and stop them spreading to neighbouring buildings.

Parts of the five-storey building collapsed as the fire burned.

A number of roads were cordoned off in the area causing major disruption and the incident caused further problems for motorists today.

Police believe the fire may have been started deliberately investigations are continuing.

Fire incident commander Brian Robson said “Due to the scale of the incident, there was inevitable disruption to local traffic.”