Fire crews were called to Leeds city centre this evening (Wednesday) after a fire at a flat above a pub.
A call was made to West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service at around 5pm after the window ledge of a flat on Harper Street set alight.
Customers drinking in Crowd of Favours below were rushed out as fire engines arrived at the scene opposite Kirkgate Market.
Two crews from Leeds and two crews from Hunslet were at the scene within minutes and used specialist aerial equipment to distinguish the flames, which started after somebody dropped a cigarette onto a third floor window ledge.
Harper Street was closed for around 45 minutes while crews dealt with the incident, leading to a number of diversions to bus routes at rush hour.
"Someone had dropped a cigarette out of their bedroom window and it caught fire," said WYRFS watch commander Peter Hanson.
"We got some jets on it from outside when we got there."
'People were obviously panicking. We had to get everyone out.'
Laura Ciesielski, 19, who works in Crowd of Favours, told LeedsLive that some people began to panic when they saw the flames.
She said: "A lady came in saying there were sparks upstairs. The fire kept getting slightly worse because of the wind.
"People were obviously panicking and we had to get everyone out.
"It was all put out very quickly though and we were back in within half an hour."
Both Harper Street and Crowd of Favours have now reopened. No one is thought to have been injured in the fire.
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