Leeds fire: Emergency crews tackle city centre blaze

Fire crews successful Leeds are tackling a ample blaze successful a metropolis centre building.

The occurrence broke retired connected the apical floors of a derelict high-rise gathering successful Cookridge Street, adjacent the city's Millennium Square, astatine astir 19:50 BST.

A fig of adjacent pubs and restaurants were evacuated, the occurrence work said.

Ten occurrence engines are moving to extinguish the blaze and a information cordon has been enactment successful spot arsenic the occurrence work said the operation is "potentially unsafe".

Student, Will Dunaway, 18, said helium had conscionable near a edifice connected adjacent Oxford Place with his household erstwhile helium saw the fire.

"Whatever it was that was connected occurrence it looked similar it was the apical portion that was connected fire, the bottommost portion looked beauteous intact.

"There was a batch of crackling and immoderate explosions, similar a popping sound.

"Nobody appeared to beryllium successful immoderate information arsenic acold arsenic I could tell."

West Yorkshire Fire Service said the police, ambulance work and a specializer effect squad are besides connected the scene.

It's a engaged Saturday nighttime successful cardinal Leeds, with the adjacent 02 Academy bustling with radical for the yearly Live astatine Leeds euphony festival.

Millennium Square has been taken implicit by occurrence engines, with constabulary portion blocking disconnected respective streets.

The country smells powerfully of burning plastics, with a hose connected an aerial level dousing flames successful a gathering adjacent to Leeds City Museum.