A DOZEN fire crews from Bradford and beyond have been tackling a blaze at a disused mill in Thornton.

Smoke could be seen for miles as the empty Prospect Mills building on Prospect Street, Thornton Road, went up in flames.

Some 50 fire fighters attended the incident which was reported at 2.04pm.

"A derelict mill, 65 metres by 15 metres was one hundred per cent involved in flames.

"Crews from across the area used five large jets and five ground hoses and set up a water relay to a nearby small reservoir.

"The fire was contained and controlled and no further crews are attending," a West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service spokesman said.

IT worker Chris Lane lives behind the mill and told what happened. "I was on the sofa watching cricket when I saw smoke and flames and went round to see.

"It was a really dramatic sight with huge flames going into the sky and a cloud of smoke hundreds of metres high. The heat coming off it was absolutely unbelievable even 100 yards away.

"The mill has been empty for years and there was talk of it becoming flats, but nothing came of that.

"It's close to the other mill that caught fire recently."

Much of the building has now collapsed due to the fire.

It is close to another listed mill building on the Prospect Mills site which had to be demolished in November last year after a confirmed arson attack.

Eighty firefighters were also called to a blaze at Prospect Mills in 2011.

Thornton Road remains closed due to the emergency and traffic is being diverted.

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