A FIRE at Oxford Bingo Club in Undercliffe on Sunday is being treated as arson.

And a local councillor says that the building on Dudley Hill Road, which had been a bingo hall in recent years, was a cinema in "days gone by".

Police were called just after midnight on Sunday to reports of a fire at the Oxford Bingo Club on Dudley Hill Road.

Six fire crews and one aerial battled the blaze for several hours, and the roof of the building collapsed within minutes of arrival sending flames and embers in nearby gardens, forcing firefighters to evacuate 30 houses.

Police and fire investigators have been looking into what caused the blaze and on Tuesday, a West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: "The incident is being treated as arson and enquiries are ongoing."

Bradford councillor David Ward (Lib Dem, Bolton and Undercliffe) said: "I must admit what a shock it was."

"The bingo hall was close to my old offices as an MP - just 40 or 50 yards down the road.

"We used to get regular visits from a number of people who came in to talk about local issues such as parking, litter and fly-tipping.

"It was a popular venue. It's quite a shock when something like this occurs.

"It was a community centre for some people - the kind of place where you can meet up once a week as part of your social life.

"Bingo is sort of game where you can have a natter between games"

Cllr Ward said the building is a "part of local history" and will be remembered by many as a cinema in "days gone by".

"There are very few of these types of buildings are around anymore. A lot of the very large old cinemas have been knocked down.

"This will have been one of the few remaining ones from the age of cinema.

"It's a part of local history. It's not just another local building.

"People will remember growing up and going there. For some, these memories are part of their childhood.

"We all remember these local cinemas in days gone by.

"A lot of the these buildings were purpose built for for the grand days of cinema, and each area would have had its own.

"You can't replace that.

"It's very difficult for these buildings to get a modern use because they have very, very high ceilings. It's a terrible shame, but when they're gone, they're gone."

Anyone who witnessed anything suspicious in the area or has any further information is asked to contact the police via 101 quoting crime reference number 13210101876.