Firefighters have been praised for their speed in containing a fire at a furniture workshop in Haworth yesterday morning.

The ground floor area of Damside Mill off Lees Lane caught fire at around 6.20am, and smoke was beginning to seep into the upstairs area.

The workshop, used by bespoke furniture designer Anthony Hartley, is just a few feet from apartments in a neighbouring converted mill.

Two engines from Keighley joined one from Bingley and one from Haworth, and when they arrived smoke was seeping out of upstairs windows.

Firefighter Mick Brennan said: “When the crews arrived the ground floor was well alight. There was the possibility it could spread to the upper floors – there was quite a lot of smoke coming out of the upstairs windows. We stopped the fire from spreading. Our main concern was stopping it from spreading to the residential complex next door.

“An investigation has now been launched into the cause and a fire investigation officer is on scene.

“Watch Commander Mark Collingwood very quickly put measures in place to make sure the fire didn’t spread.”

Mr Hartley, who takes part in Haworth Art Trail and Haworth Festival, said residents of the neighbouring mill had called in the fire shortly after it started. He said: “I think it has been contained. It looks like it will be more smoke damage than anything else, but I won’t know until I get a chance to look inside.”

He thanked firefighters for dealing with the fire so quickly and residents for alerting them.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “I was woken up by the blue lights of the fire engines. It looked like they controlled it really well.” He said the fire was quite small and it did not seem like there was any danger of it spreading to the flats once the fire brigade had arrived.