Hundreds of students evacuated after 'severe' fire at Bradford flats (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Hundreds of students evacuated after 'severe' fire at Bradford flats

8:44am Tuesday 30th October 2012 in News By Hannah Postles, T&A Reporter

Around 200 students were evacuated from a Bradford University Hall of Residence after a “severe” blaze broke out in a kitchen last night.

Firefighters were called to the privately-owned Foster Hall of Residence on Great Horton Road, Bradford, at 10.10pm to reports a pan was on fire in the kitchen of a third-floor flat.

Students were forced to leave the six-storey building as crews tackled the blaze, which is believed to have started after a woman in the flat left a pan of oil unattended.

Watch commander Spencer Priestley, of Odsal fire station, said: “Fortunately no one was injured.

“It was quite a severe fire which destroyed the majority of the kitchen and caused a lot of smoke damage in the flat.”

The woman was alone in the six-bedroom flat, which shares a communal kitchen, when the fire broke out.

Crews used breathing apparatus and positive pressure ventilation as the tackled the flames.

Watch commander Priestley said: “The girl did a quite a good job, shutting the doors and setting the fire alarm off.

“She had been cooking when she left the kitchen to take a phone call.

“Because of smoke logging throughout the building it took around two hours before the students were able to go back inside.

“We’d like to remind people not to leave pans unattended.”