Mother opened door and saw 'huge fire' in Hollingwood Lane

West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service (WYFRS) was called to reports of a house fire at 4.44am in Hollingwood Lane, in the Horton Bank Top area of Bradford.

Three crews – from Bradford, Odsal, and Fairweather Green fire stations – rushed to the scene and discovered the ground floor of a property between the road’s junctions with Mickledore Ridge and Frensham Drive was alight.

Firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze using equipment including hose reels, positive pressure ventilation and breathing apparatus.

A man received first aid from firefighters before being rushed to hospital by the Yorkshire Ambulance Service, according to a spokesperson for WYFRS.

He suffered serious burns.

A side angle of the damage to the property (Image: Telegraph & Argus)

West Yorkshire Police was called to the scene by the fire service at 4.57am. 

Two men were arrested in connection with the blaze.

One woman on the street told the Telegraph & Argus it was a very scary experience, particularly as she was with her children.

She described how someone climbed onto the back of their house to knock on their window to alert them.

The woman said: "It was a really huge fire when I opened the door.

"First someone knocked on my window and woke up me.

“When I opened the door I saw the fire, I thought 'oh no'."

The whole building was on fire and firefighters arrived just as she tried to call 999, according to the woman.

Another woman who lives nearby said she did not know about the fire until she saw a lot of smoke billowing into the air above the house.

The T&A visited the scene on Thursday morning and saw the extent of the damage to the small house.

There was a hole in the roof, which was heavily charred around its edges, and a large single front window had been destroyed. Burn marks could be seen all around it.

The interior of the house and items inside were blackened and a conservatory to the back of the property looked to have been badly burnt.

The house was badly damaged inside (Image: Telegraph & Argus)

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said a scene was in place on Thursday morning while officers and staff from the fire service investigated the circumstances of the blaze.

There was a WYFRS aerial unit, as well as two other fire engines at the scene late into the morning, while Hollingwood Lane’s junctions with Great Horton Road and Mickledore Ridge were blocked off by police.

At one point, the aerial unit was lifted above the house and several firefighters removed tiles from the roof to spray water into the property.

A forensic police officer in a white protective suit was also spotted in the front garden of the house with a tripod and camera.

Most fire and police units left the scene and the road was reopened just before midday, while a digger could be seen working in the front garden.

A full statement from WYFRS said: "We were called at 4.44am this morning to reports of domestic property fire on Hollingwood Lane in Bradford.

"We sent crews from Odsal, Fairweather Green and Bradford.

"This was found to be a fire on the ground floor, and breathing apparatus, positive pressure ventilation and hose reels were used to extinguish the blaze.

"One casualty received first aid from crews and was taken to hospital by Yorkshire Ambulance Service."

A full statement from West Yorkshire Police said: "At 4.57am this morning officers were called by the fire service to reports of a house fire at Hollingwood Lane, Bradford.

"A man has been taken to hospital with serious burns.

"Two men have been arrested in connection with the fire.

"A scene is on whilst enquiries into the circumstances of the fire are carried out by the police and the fire service.”

Police have launched an appeal for information in the aftermath of the fire and have asked anyone who witnessed anything suspicious in the early hours of Thursday morning to contact them via 101, or using the contact options on the West Yorkshire Police website.

You should quote log number: 167 of January 25.