CREWS from four fire stations tackled a fire believed to have started in garages beneath flats in Ilkley tonight.

Elderly residents in Leconfield House, which is sheltered housing, were evacuated as police, fire and ambulance crews attended the scene in the Cowpasture Road area near the town centre.

A fire service spokesman said the blaze was believed to have involved a mobility scooter burning in garages beneath the flats.There were no initial reports of injuries or anyone trapped.

A Yorkshire Ambulance Service spokesman said they were alerted to the fire at 8.18pm. Two ambulances were sent. There were no reports of any casualties.

Damon Bowles, a writer based in Ilkley, tweeted: “Major fire at a block of flats in Ilkley. Elderly evacuees sitting with blankets outside Tesco.”

Leconfield House is sheltered housing scheme run by Johnnie Johnson Housing Trust Ltd.
A spokesman for the trust said everything possible was being done to ensure residents continued to receive services as normal.

The trust’s contingency arrangements were activated and put into place, and staff on site assessed the immediate needs of residents, and the work which will be required to rectify properties.

The Trust is working closely with the emergency services to handle the incident as effectively as possible, and will cooperate fully in the subsequent investigations.

A spokesman for Johnnie Johnson Housing Trust, added: “Our primary concern is for those residents affected by this incident, and we want to reassure them that the Trust is doing everything it can to minimise the impact and support them at this time.

"We are working closely with the emergency services to establish exactly what happened and to ensure full cooperation from the Trust.”