POLICE and fire investigators are today continuing to probe the cause of a large blaze which wrecked a car repair centre in Bradford.

The blaze, at Bradford Clutch Centre in Handel Street, Listerhills, broke out at around 9pm on Saturday and at its height, 60 firefighters, from stations across the district and beyond, were at the scene.

A West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service spokesman said that up to eight vehicles, including cars waiting to be repaired, were inside the premises when the fierce blaze broke out. He said 100 per cent damage had been caused to the single storey premises and the vehicles inside.

He said investigators from the fire service and police were attending to try and establish the cause of the fire.

Yesterday morning, Handel Street and Norcroft Street were sealed off by police while fire crews continued to examine the scene.

Passerby Phillip Quinn called the emergency services.

He said: “I was passing the clutch centre at 9pm last night when I saw some smoke. I stopped to see if it was a burning bin or something of that nature.”

He said he saw flames under the steel door.

“I immediately phoned 999. Firefighters were on the scene within minutes,” he added.

The fire service spokesman said the single storey building, measuring 25 by 25 metres, had been “full” of cars awaiting repair.

The fire took an hour to be brought under control and firefighters used aerial appliances to fight the flames from above, and specialist equipment to cut holes in doors and windows to gain access to tackle the fire.

They remained through the night, dousing hot spots.

The spokesman said: “When we arrived smoke was coming from the building. We had been told an employee sometimes stayed on site and might be inside, but he wasn’t there.

“We got access to the building and fought the fire from outside. It took an hour to bring it under control.”

A number of badly burned vehicles could be seen inside the premises yesterday.

They included a truck, two hatchback cars and a camper van-type vehicle. It is thought up to eight vehicles were inside the building.

West Yorkshire Police was asked for a statement about the investigation.