Keighley fire: Peaky Blinders mill complex goes up in flames

More than 100 firefighters are tackling a blaze at a mill complex used as a film location for hit shows such as Peaky Blinders and Downton Abbey.

Fire crews have been drafted in to tackle the inferno at Dalton Mills in Dalton Lane, Keighley, West Yorkshire.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said 20 pumps were called out just before noon.

Flames and black smoke can be seen billowing from the building as crews try to get the fire under control.

Bradford Council said it had opened the town's leisure centre to provide shelter for people affected by the blaze.

People living nearby have been told to keep windows and doors closed and to avoid travelling through the area because of the smoke.

There is a police cordon in place and some roads have been closed.

The fire service said appliances from neighbouring brigades were also in attendance, along with police, ambulances, Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency.

"There is very thick smoke mixing immediately with thick fog. Every now and then we can see a bright orange flare shooting from the roof of the mill.

"You can smell it on the valley side of the town, where people are gathering to look down into Keighley and onto the site of the fire.

"As well as the roof, we can see flames shooting from some of the mill's chimneys as fire crews shoot jets of water to try and control the fire."

The mill had been used for a number of film and television production in recent years.

Richard Knight from Screen Yorkshire described the fire as "a sad loss to the Yorkshire film-making landscape".

"It's one of those amazing locations that is like a destination in its own right," he said.

"It's got the kind of provenance and scale that could attract film-makers from far and wide.

As well as Peaky Blinders and Downton Abbey he said part of the site had been transformed into London's Victorian-era East End for the 2016 film The Limehouse Golem, starring Bill Nighy.

The Victorian building, constructed in 1869, was once said to be the largest textile mill in Yorkshire, employing more than 2,000 workers.

It fell into disrepair before being partially restored and taken off English Heritage's at-risk register in 2015.

The complex was previously struck by a serious fire in 2011, when it was believed copper thieves set fire to the site as they tried to burn off insulation to steal metal.