BRADFORD TYRE FIRE: A timeline of major events and updates

A huge fire had erupted in the city centre in the early hours of the morning and huge plumes of thick smoke were wafting into the air.

The fuel for the blaze was a mound of hundreds of tyres, at a former go-kart track, off Spring Mill Street.

Almost 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines tackled the fire at its height, battling huge flames emanating from the mass of tyres.

In the days since, crews have attempted to take control of the blaze.

But the scrap tyre fire continues to wreak havoc with the city – from businesses and schools closing, to the blaze reportedly reigniting on Friday afternoon.

Below, we take you through a timeline of all the major events and updates so far:

Monday, November 16:

• 3.00AM – A large fire breaks out in the city centre.
• 3.00AM – West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service (WYFRS) is called to a former go-kart track, off Spring Mill Street, where "numerous scrap tyres" are on fire.
• 4.37AM – 10 fire engines at the scene.
• 5.09AM – 15 fire engines, two aerial appliances and 100 firefighters from fire stations at Featherstone, Dewsbury, Shipley, Rawdon, Illingworth, Halifax, Huddersfield, Morley and Skelmanthorpe now at the scene in total.
• 6.07AM – First disruption to trains to and from Bradford Interchange, with all lines blocked. Roughly 38 minutes later, Northern Rail announced there would be no services running through, to or from the station until at least the end of the day.
• 6.40AM – Bradford Council asks people in East Bowling to keep their windows and doors shut due to smoke from the fire.
• 6.40AM – The council also announces the first school to shut due to the fire – Bronte Girls’ Academy.
• 6.45AM – Northern Rail reveals 8000 tyres and railway equipment are at risk from the fire which is only around 50 metres away from the railway.
• 7.03AM – Bradford Council announces road closures are in place while firefighters try tackle the blaze. This includes: Upper Castle Street, Ripley Street, the junction of Manchester Road and Mill Lane, Spring Mill Street junction with Palmer Street and Bolling Road.
• 7.35AM - Reports have also suggested that Dixons City Academy, located on nearby Ripley Street, is closed this morning, as a result of the Upper Castle Street fire.
• 9.00AM – Four schools confirmed to be closed including: Bronte Girls Academy, Rainbow Primary School, Dixons City Academy and Dixons Free Sixth Form.
• 9.57AM – Road closure list update to include: Albany Street, Parma Street, Wood Road, Bowling Old Lane, Nelson Street and Round Streer/Gaythorne Lane.
• 10.15AM – Areas further afield begin to feel the effects of the fire, with smoke spreading to South Pudsey, Farnley Hall and Bramley.
• 1.50PM – The Environment Agency tells the T&A it is still continuing investigations into the suspected illegal storage of waste tyres at an old go-karting site where the fire erupted. This investigation was first revealed by the T&A back in July. The agency was at the scene supporting the fire service.
• 6.00PM – 15 fire engines and two aerial units continue to tackle the fire. A source reveals it could rage on for “a few days”.
• 7.20PM – Six roads remain closed, including: Upper Castle Street, Ripley Street, Mill Lane, Spring Mill Street, Bowling Old Lane and Nelson Street.
• 8.00PM - Charity that owned the go-kart track speaks out to say it took “everything” it owned with it when it vacated the site 18 months ago.
• 8.10PM – Trafalgar House Police Station closes its help desk due to the fire and smoke.
• 8.10PM – Northern Rail advised customers that disruptions will continue that evening and into Tuesday.
• 8.50PM - One person, who lives nearby and had contacted the Environment Agency over the tyres on the site before, reveals a fire like this was predicted to happen with the amount of tyres there, but nobody took it seriously.

Tuesday, November 17:

• 8.00AM – WYFRS reveals crews have been working flat out overnight to tackle the blaze. Nine fire engines and two aerial appliances remain at the scene.
• 8.00AM – A spokesperson for Cleckheaton Fire Station says the fire will be burning for days.
• 8.10AM – 13 schools closed including: Bradford District PRU, Bronte Girls' Academy, Byron Primary School, Dixons City Academy, Dixons Sixth Form Academy, Fearnville Primary School, New College Bradford, Rainbow Primary School, Dixons Marchbank Academy, Killinghall Primary School, St Mary's and St Peter's Catholic Primary School, Byron Primary School and Lapage Primary School.
• 8.20AM – All lines at Bradford Interchange still blocked, disruption expected until the end of the Tuesday.
• 4.00PM – Roads continued to be closed, including: Albany Street, Springmill Street junction Manchester Road, Parma Street junction Spring Mill Street, Wood Road junction Spring Mill Street junction Tilley Square, Ripley Street junction Upper Castle Street, Bowling Old Lane junction Manchester Road, Mill Lane junction Manchester Road, Mill Lane junction Ripley Street, Ripley Street junction Manchester Road, Ripley Street junction Ripley Road plus hose, Nelson Street junction Caledonia Street, Fitzwilliam Street junction Mill Lane, Bowling Old Lane junction Ripley Street, Caledonia Street junction Edward Street and Croft Street junction Nelson Street.
• 5.30PM – Business, RH Plastics Technology, which is on Pitcliffe Industrial Estate off Upper Castle Street, reveals the flames are not as big or intense as on Monday, but the fire is still burning.
• 6.00PM – 60 firefighters and WYFRS officers at the scene. Specialist teams using foam to try bring the fire under control.
• 6.00PM – The Environment Agency reveals it is still supporting WYFRS and is also monitoring the water quality of Bowling Beck to ensure that no pollution is coming from the fire or from firefighting surface water.

Wednesday, November 18:

• 7.50AM – 10 schools closed, including: Barkerend Primary Leadership Academy, Bronte Girls' Academy, Byron Primary School, Dixons City Academy, Dixons Marchbank Primary School, Killinghall Primary School, Lapage Primary School and Nursery, Rainbow Primary School, St Mary's and St Peter's Catholic Primary School, Dixons Free Sixth Form
• 9.00AM - Five fire engines and two aerial appliances remain at the scene.
• 9.50AM – West Yorkshire Police reveals two people were arrested in connection with the fire on Tuesday night. They were detained on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson. Both were interviewed on the Tuesday night and then released on bail.
• 11.00AM – Roads continue to be closed, including: Parma Street junction Spring Mill Street, Ripley Street junction Spring Mill Street, Ripley Street junction Upper Castle Street, Mill Lane junction Manchester Road, Mill Lane junction Ripley Street, Ripley Street junction Ripley Road, Nelson Street junction Caledonia Street and Fitzwilliam Street junction Mill Lane.
• 12.31PM - The Air Quality Cell set up an air quality monitoring unit. The monitoring unit will be used to confirm public health risk advice given by Public Health England.
• 5.00PM – Six fire engines, two aerial ladder and one foam appliance at the scene.
• 11.59PM – No trains from Bradford Interchange for a third day, and it is announced none are expected to run to and from the station for a fourth day.

Thursday, November 19:

• 7.20AM – Six schools closed, including: Bronte Girls' Academy, Dixons City Academy, Dixons Sixth Form Academy, Rainbow Primary School, Bowling Park Primary School and Park Primary Pupil Referral Unit.
• 7.20AM – Roads continue to be closed, including: Parma Street junction with Upper Castle Street, Mill Lane junction with Nelson Street and Mill Lane junction with Fitzwilliam Street.
• 9.00AM - Eight fire engines and one aerial ladder appliance at the scene.
• 12.28PM – Bradford Council announces it is allowing as many businesses as possible to return to their premises and people are reminded to keep windows and doors shut still.
• 4.30PM – A single train service resumes – one train per hour in both directions between Leeds and Bradford Interchange. Disruptions continue due to smoke in the area.
• 6.00PM – Eight fire engines and one aerial ladder appliance remain at the scene in the evening.

Friday, November 20:

• 8.00AM – 17 schools closed, including: All Saints CofE Primary School (Bradford), Bowling Park Primary School, Bradford Academy, Bradford District PRU, Bronte Girls' Academy, Copthorne Primary School, Dixons City Academy, Dixons Free Sixth Form, Dixons Music Primary School, Farnham Primary School, Feversham Academy, Horton Grange Primary School, Oastlers School, Primary Pupil Referral Unit, Rainbow Primary School, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Bradford) and St Mary's and St Peter's Catholic Primary School.
• 9.20AM - Five fire engines and a Combined Aerial Rescue Pump (CARP) at the scene.
• 10.14AM – Roads continue to be closed, including: Parma St junction with Upper Castle Street, Mill Lane junction with Nelson Street and Mill Lane junction with Fitzwilliam Street. HGVs able to access Pitcliffe Way Industrial Estate.
• 10.40AM – Bradford Crown Court and Bradford Magistrates’ Court forced to close due to smoke drifting from the tyre fire.
• 10.50AM – One service (one train per hour in both directions between Leeds and Bradford Interchange) continues to run.
• 2.16PM – The Environment Agency works with WYFRS and Yorkshire Water to remove contaminated fire-fighting water at the tyre blaze site, which has collected there in pools. Pumps used to direct the water into the sewer and away from nearby becks.
• 2.37PM – Change in wind direction prompts WYFRS to remind residents to the east of the tyre fire to keep their doors and windows closed.
• 3.00PM – Bradford charity, Trident – which helped from the start of the fire – reveals it is ready and willing to help provide shelter to nearby residents if they need to evacuate their homes because of the toxic fumes coming from the fire.
• 4.13PM – Announced that a full rail service is expected to resume at Bradford Interchange on Saturday after safety inspections and railway equipment is tested.
• 4.25PM – Tyre fire reportedly reignites.
• 5.00PM - Four fire engines at the scene.

Saturday, November 21:

• 1.30AM - Four fire engines at the scene throughout the night. They used two jets, one hose reel and two ground monitors to try extinguish the tyre fire which reportedly reignited on Friday afternoon.
• 6.09AM – Northern Rail announces all lines running to and from Bradford Interchange have reopened. Trains running as normal.
• 4.00PM – WYFRS still trying to extinguish reignited tyre fire, but numbers at the scene reduced to three fire engines. Crews used one ground monitor and one large jet to try tackle the blaze.
• 6.45PM – WYFRS gives huge thank you to local businesses who have supported crews throughout the week – such as donating food and drink.

Sunday, November 22:

• 3.00AM – Firefighters continue to battle the reignited tyre fire. Three fire engines still at the scene. Crews used two large jets and two ground monitors to try extinguish the fire.

Monday, November 23:

• Major Bradford scrap tyre fire finally out, fire service confirms. Read more about that here...