Hundreds of people evacuated amid fears volatile gas cylinders could explode in a garage fire returned home today.

Residents in Thornhill Terrace, Leeds Old Road, Barkerend and surrounding streets were told to leave their homes last night as firefighters battled to stop three cylinders from exploding in the heat of the blaze.

Many went to stay with friends or relatives but 23 residents, including some children, spent the night at Richard Dunn sports centre in Odsal.

Emergency planning manager Mike Powell said that the evacuees were provided with emergency beds and food.

He said: “The operation and liaison with emergency services partners went very smoothly and people were full of praise for the staff at Richard Dunn, the way they were looked after and kept informed and updated about the latest developments in the firefighting operation.

“Staff also provided toys and activities to keep the children entertained. Our rest centre plans, which are tried and tested, worked well on this incident.”

Simon Moore, crew manager at Bradford Fire Station, said: “The acetylene cylinders have been removed.

“We worked very closely with British Oxygen Company and it has had its 24 hours now of cooling down, so the cylinders are now deemed safe, so the people from BOC have now transported them back to Manchester for safe disposal.”