A BRADFORD firm has confirmed none of its employees were injured after a fire broke out billowing thick plumes of smoke across the city centre this afternoon.
Emergency services were called to reports of a fire on Buck Street at 3.28pm today (Friday).
The fire broke out at P Waddington, an animal by-products processor and more than a dozen fire engines were scrambled to the scene.
Thick plumes of smoke were gushing out of the building and into the sky above Bradford as more than a dozen crews battled the fire.
A representative from the company has spoken about how the fire started.
A spokesperson for P Waddington said: "One of the lorries operating at our site in Buck Street, Bradford, caught fire around 3pm this afternoon.
"The fire spread to the roof of the building and the site was rapidly evacuated. The fire brigade attended and quickly extinguished the fire.
"None of our colleagues were injured and we have informed the Environmental Health Office of the incident."
A spokesperson for the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "The blaze was in a single-storey building measuring 50 metres by 20 metres.
"The building was "100 per cent involved in the fire and also involved a heavy goods vehicle inside the building".
Crews used two large jets, four breathing apparatus and an aerial appliance.
They also confirmed that no one was injured.
A 'fire surrounded message' was received at 4.45pm and the incident had been reduced to four pumps and one aerial.
Onlookers and one business owner in the area spoke to the Telegraph and Argus about the huge blaze.
Ishy Ahmed, owner of the Hot Rock cafe on Buck Street, said: "The sky turned black. It looked like pea soup as it was a really thick fog.
"You couldn't see ten yards in front of you and the stench was shocking.
"The main building's roof was completely engulfed in fire.
"We've counted 14 fire trucks, two aerial ladders and a number of police and ambulance vehicles as well."
One Telegraph & Argus reader was in touch early on and said: "Looks like crews are in attendance from further afield as I’ve just seen three more engines heading along the M62 towards Bradford."
As crews worked hard to extinguish the blaze, another onlooker said: "It's not smoking anymore. It looks like it's out and they're damping down."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here