Dozens of firefghters from across West Yorkshire rushed to the scene of a blaze at a nightclub in Wakefield city centre.
West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service (WYFRS) received a call shortly after 5pm on Sunday, March 29 to reports of a fire on Westgate after smoke was seen coming out of a building in White Horse Yard.
The force sent 10 crews in total and at the height of the incident there were 60 firefighters in attendance, with some coming from as far as Heckmondwike and Cleackheaton.
Anna Howard, 41, was delivering food with the Wakefield Street Kitchen Volunteers when she pulled up opposite the scene.
'It must have been a hell of a blaze'
"I've never seen anything like it," she said.
"We got there just as the fire service and the police were evacuating nearby buildings because the smoke was coming out down the alleyway.
"We saw two fire engines to start with and we thought: 'What's going on here?'.
"Soon there must have been six fire engines there. We knew it must have been pretty serious and we saw loads of smoke coming out of the building.
"It must have been a hell of a blaze. I just hope to god there was no one in there."
Westgate remained closed for more than two hours as the blaze was brought under control.
The firefighters quickly prevented the spread of the fire and managed to contain it to just the ground floor.
Anna said that in normal conditions, the area would have been busy with people out for a drink.
"The area would usually be absolutely packed, because that's where all the bars and nightclubs are," she said. "It would be heaving with people."
WYFRS were unable to confirm which building the fire started in, although LeedsLive understands it was one of the nightclubs in White Horse Yard.
No one was injured in the incident.
