A MAJOR blaze erupted in Becks Road, Keighley, after a fire which had been started in nearby shrubbery spread into an industrial yard.

Fire crews were called to the scene near Springfield Mill shortly after 1.40pm today.

The spectacular blaze was pictured by dozens of people, with many images posted on social media during the afternoon. A huge plume of black smoke was visible over much of Keighley.

Keighley Fire Station watch commander Richard Lightowler said the fire was believed to have been started by children playing in nearby bushes.

He said the flames then spread through a wire mesh fence and ignited the pile of pallets.

He added: "We could actually see the smoke from the fire station and knew we were going to get called out.

"There was a lot of plastic coverings amid the pallets and that is what gave off all the black smoke.

"We were able to get on top of it fairly quickly. We had the fire under control within half an hour. The crews did really well to stop it spreading to a lot of other pallets.

"Nobody was hurt. We were at the scene for a good two and a half hours."