Detectives were last night quizzing three youths held on suspicion of arson after a major blaze destroyed a Keighley house.

Residents spoke of their shock after they heard the “loud bangs” of windows exploding as the blaze tore through the terraced house in Devonshire Street West, early yesterday.

They ran into the street to see flames and thick smoke pouring from the downstairs windows of the end-terrace house and called 999.

Mohammed Zulfiquar, 26, said: “I was already awake because I have a new-born baby and I was up with him. There was a loud bang of the windows coming out, so I quickly jumped up and looked out of the window.

“I couldn’t see from where I was but I could see a cloud of smoke, so I rang the fire brigade.”

Shopkeeper Irfan Ismail, 23, who works in the Zulfran convenience store in the road, said: “There was a loud bang and I thought somebody was braying my door down, then there was a massive fire.”

The blaze started on the ground floor of the house at about 3.30am. Keighley firefighters spent two hours putting it out.

One next-door neighbour, a man in his 60s, was taken to Airedale General Hospital for a check-up after inhaling toxic smoke. He was released later yesterday, said Mr Zulfiquar.

Mr Zulfiquar, who has only lived in the street for a few weeks, said the tenant occasionally visits the house but had been living with his mother.

“The guy who lives there has been in hospital quite a lot and has been living with his mum for a while now. As soon as the fire brigade got here, the first thing they asked me was if there was anyone in there. I said that as far as I knew, he was living with his mum but I wasn’t sure. It was lucky he wasn’t inside.”

A police spokesman said: “Our officers were called at 4.13am to reports that there was a house fire. Officers arrested three people quite quickly after they got there.

“All three remain in custody on suspicion of arson.”

One of them is aged 16 and two 17. He said a joint investigation was being carried out by the CID and fire service investigators.