POLICE say Thornton Road, Thornton, will be closed until at least tomorrow evening as a result of a mill fire which broke out this afternoon.

The blaze at Prospect Mills, Prospect Street, off Thornton Road, was reported at about 2.55pm.

A large number of firefighters are at the scene, including Fairweather Green, Bradford and Shipley.

Structural engineers are also examining the condition of the building.

Thornton Road is closed between its junctions with Spring Head Road and Kipping Lane while emergency services deal with the incident.

A police spokesman said at about 5.55pm that the stretch of road would remain closed throughout the night. It has since been revealed that the closure will remain in place until tomorrow evening at least.

 

Roland Garnett, 69, from Clayton, took some footage of the fire via his dashboard camera before being diverted by an ambulance blocking traffic on Thornton Road.

 

“At first I saw some flames in the distance, it looked like a fire at the side of the road,” he said.

“Then the smoke got really bad, and the ambulance was there stopping the traffic.

“You could see window frames dropping off the building and falling into the road.

“It was well alight when I left, the whole building will be completely gutted.”

One woman, who lives near the mill, said she had decided to evacuate her house amid fears the mill could collapse.

More follows.