POLICE are treating a fire that tore through a former school building over the weekend as arson.

Fire crews from across the city were called to the blaze at the two-floor Yorkshire Martyrs Catholic College building on Westgate Hill Street, Tong, on Saturday afternoon.

Police are now appealing for witnesses who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously near the site shortly before the fire, which happened around 3.30pm.

Crews from Bradford, Odsal, Idle and Fairweather Green fire stations spent much of Saturday extinguishing the fire and damping down the building, which has been empty since the school was shut in 2010. The building is currently up for sale.

A police spokesman said: “We’re treating it as arson. It looks like someone has forced their way into the building and used a naked flame to set fire to some combustible material in the building.”

Anyone with information about the incident or who may have seen anyone suspicious in the area can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers Anonymously on 0800 555111.