A blaze ripped through a block of flats and caused a gas leak in the Manchester Road area of Bradford this afternoon.

Two flats, one above the other, were wrecked in the blaze at about 1.20pm. No-one was inside at the time.

Firefighters at the scene said they were unsure what caused the fire, which burned a hole through the rear wall of the upstairs property. A wooden staircase leading to the upper flat was destroyed and the flames engulfed a gas meter on the ground floor.