FIREFIGHTERS are today investigating the possible cause of a fire which ripped through a derelict building in Leeds city centre last night.

Fire crews from across West Yorkshire, including Odsal, were on site within minutes after the blaze rapidly took hold of the vacant Leonardo Building.

The fire began just before 8pm on Saturday, with flames seen coming out the top of the multi-storey building on Cookridge Street, near Millennium Square and Leeds General Infirmary.

Pubs and bars nearby were evacuated as crews from across West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) worked together to tackle the blaze.

It is believed the fire started in a section near the top of the building, and quickly took hold on the top three floors.

The building is currently being renovated, with the fire taking hold of plastic wrapping and scaffolding surrounding the site.

Incident Commander Dale Gardiner, the senior fire officer who co-ordinated the big operation last night, said: “Due to the number of calls, the initial incident commander had 10 engines on scene to deal with the fire, which meant it could be contained to the top three floors.

“It was dealt with quite quickly and crews worked fantastically hard to stop it spreading further or going into other nearby buildings.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Emergency crews at the scene of the fire in Leeds city centre Emergency crews at the scene of the fire in Leeds city centre (Image: PA)

“The fire itself was in the wrap surrounding the building. It was the scaffolding which had caught fire, which made it difficult for crews to put out.

“It is difficult to say as yet what the extent of damage the fire has caused, but it looks like it was mainly contained to the outside. Fire investigators and building contractors were on site last night and continue to be on site today.”

No one was injured because of the fire, with those first on scene last night credited with getting the building fire quickly under control.

“The location of the fire and the proximity of other buildings and people all around, meant this could very easily develop into a serious situation,” added the Incident Commander.

Fire investigation officers have been back on site today and likely to have an initial outline of what potentially caused the fire in the coming days.

He added: “As this investigation is on-going, we do not want to speculate what may or may not have caused it.”