Fireworks light sky in blaze spectacular

[Tony]

A giant display of fireworks lit up the sky as fire crews tackled an explosive warehouse blaze in Bradford city centre.
Rockets and bangers soared through the roof and windows of a two-storey warehouse storing fireworks which caught fire yesterday morning.

Firefighters from Bradford, Odsal, Shipley, Fairweather Green, Halifax and Batley fought the blaze for over an hour at the Mr Fireworks premises in Grattan Road at 4.50am.
The fireworks were spotted by a police car in the city centre.

It is believed about £2,500 worth of fireworks were destroyed by the fire, which woke up nearby residents.
Worried local resident
Carole Arnold, 32, said: "It was really frightening.
"We were woken up by this really loud bang. I thought the house was being bombed.
"We ran outside and saw these fireworks exploding in the sky, not far from us. It was quite pretty really once we got over the shock."

Bradford's fire station manager Keith Robinson said: "It was very dangerous for the firefighters because there were big explosives going off inside the warehouse.
"Fireworks in the open are dangerous enough but these were fireworks going off in a confined space and also coming out of the building. It took us 45 minutes to get the fire under control before it was safe enough to enter the building.

"Fireworks were coming out of the roof and through two windows which failed during the fire. It was
spectacular. Fire crews coming to the scene said they could see the fireworks going off from four miles away."
Grattan Road was closed off throughout the day yesterday as firefighters investigated the cause of the incident.
Mr Robinson said the building was locked when they arrived and they had to force entry.
The operation to put the fire out was run by a mobile command unit which was sent from Batley fire station.
The owners of the Mr Fireworks business declined to comment when contacted by the Yorkshire Post.
29 September 2006

 

[Vavoom]

And another related article.

Blaze at city fireworks warehouse

A Fire Service officer captured an explosion on his video camera.

Firefighters in Bradford spent three hours tackling a blaze at a fireworks warehouse thought to contain more than two tons of bangers and rockets.
About 45 firefighters were called to Mister Fireworks on Grattan Road early on Thursday.

Fireworks shot into the sky as crews from four stations tackled the blaze.

Firefighter Keith Robinson said the scene "was like one big firework display", which could be seen from miles away.

He added: "It was very, very scary at times, hazardous, because of the fireworks projecting themselves through the building 400ft away."

Roads surrounding the two-storey building have been closed. No one is thought to have been injured in the fire.

 

[Vavoom]

And another article with a video (after the fire had been controlled):
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/videonews/index.var.455.0.0.php

Firework factory blaze drama

More than 40 firefighters were called to a blaze at a fireworks warehouse in Bradford today.

Crews arrived at the Mr Fireworks premises in Grattan Road to find rockets whizzing out of smashed windows towards the city centre.

The scene at the firm in Grattan Road

Police cordoned off side streets in the area surrounding the two-storey building.

Crews from Bradford, Odsal, Fairweather Green, Odsal and Keighley were called to the fire in the two-storey building at 4.48am and used two aerial appliances, six pumps and a fire cannon to bring it under control.

continued...
Incident commander Keith Robinson, said: " When we arrived there was a severe fire in the building which contained 2.5 tonnes of fireworks.

"When the crews got here we had fireworks projecting around 100ft into the air coming straight out of the window towards the city centre.

"It was very dangerous for the firefighters." Mr Fireworks sells Roman candles, Catherine wheels, fountains, as well as barrage fireworks such as screaming demons, and resurrection.

He added: "If the fire had got to the adjoining buildings then it would be a lot more serious but due to the professionalism of the firefighters involved we managed to contain it to a single building."

"The damage is just to one room and it is quite extensive.

"If you imaging 2.5tonnes of fireworks in your front room all going off together, you would have a very serious incident in your house."

Amanda Chapman, who owns The Sandwich Shop next door to Mr Fireworks, was getting ready for her daughters 16th birthday party when she heard about the fire.

She said firework deliveries to the warehouse had increased recently and added: "There have been a lot of deliveries because it is bonfire night and Eid soon.

"But as far as I am aware they were all kept in metal containers."

Mrs Chapman said: "I do no know what will happen to my business now.

"I don't even know if they've cut the gas off.

"And I've had a call from the bakery informing me they can't deliver my bread because of the police cordons."

Mr Richards said: "Crews will be here for a considerable time damping down and making sure there are no hotspots in the building that could ignite further fireworks and cause further damage."

A spokesman for the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was investigating the cause of the fire.