Investigations launched after major shop fire

An investigation has been launched following a fire at a car parts store in Bradford.

Seven fire crews battled the blaze at Heaton Motors at its peak on Wednesday, with smoke billowing from the windows.

Leeds Road was closed in both directions while emergency services attended the scene from around 12pm (BST).

A neighbouring cafe told the BBC that the fire and subsequent closure of the busy road had caused “major disruption”.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Services said investigators had not yet been able to enter the building for structural safety reasons.

Initially, three teams from Bradford, Stanningley and Odsal were sent to the scene of the accident, with additional fire engines arriving later.

West Yorkshire Police and Yorkshire Ambulance Service were also at the scene, but the road was still closed to traffic on Thursday morning.

Sohail Khan, store manager at Mi Chaii, said his lunch service on Wednesday was suddenly interrupted when a delivery driver informed him of the fire.

“It was a bit of a shock, I thought he was joking,” he said.

“I went outside and saw the building going up in smoke.”

Mr Khan said the closure had impacted many businesses in the area.

“With its shopping and restaurants, it contributes a large part to Bradford’s revenue and is a hub to Leeds,” he said.

“It’s causing a lot of disruption for us because none of our customers can reach us – the whole street is affected.”

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