Leeds city centre fire: Firefighters remain at Leonardo Building as investigation into cause begins - live updates

Firefighters and police have been joined at the scene by Yorkshire Ambulance Service and members of its Hazardous Area Response Team.

This team is made up of specially trained personnel who provide the ambulance response to major incidents.

Acccording to YAS, the team has 42 members who are equipped to safely locate, stabilise, treat and rescue casualties from dangerous environments such as collapsed buildings or crashed vehicles.

They can provide emergency treatment in precarious rescue operations where patients may be trapped or in places where access is difficult, such as heights, underground or in water.

At this stage, there have been no reports of people trapped inside the building but the team are likely to remain on standby at the scene in case they are needed.

Leeds City Council chief executive Tom Riordan has expressed his gratitude for the efforts of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and others involved in the emergency response tonight.

Responding to a fire service post on Twitter, he wrote: “Very many thanks for all you are doing with other emergency services teams and @LeedsCC_News colleagues to bring this under control and keep people safe.”

It’s a sentiment that’s been shared by others on social media who remain hopeful that nobody has been hurt and that nearby buildings such as Leeds City Museum have been protected.

Others have written about their sadness over a piece of the city’s history being destroyed. While the extent of the damage won’t be clear until the morning, it seems likely that the Grade II listed Leonardo Building is going to need significant rebuilding work - if it can be salvaged at all.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has said this morning that crews will be on site for most of the day (Sunday).

He said: “We will have two pumps in attendance and we will be doing a release this morning, which means we will replace those crews with two other crews.

“The fire is still ongoing, but we have scaled down the incident significantly.

“Fire investigation will start from 9am, so we will probably be on site for the rest of the day.”

This footage shot by Mark Bickerdike shows the fire at its height last night.

Our photographer Simon Hulme has been to the scene this morning:

Our reporter Abi Whistance is down at the scene:

She’s also spoken to a police officer on site who has confirmed that nobody was hurt in the fire.

We understand that staff at Vodka Revolution - the entrance to which is inside the cordon - are waiting to hear whether they can open as usual at 11am.

Our reporter Abi Whistance has had confirmation from the emergency services that the fire is now completely out. It means the focus shifts to the investigation into the cause and assessments about the safety of the building following the blaze.

There’s no immediate signs of the metal fencing blocking off part of Cookridge Street being taken down at the stage. We understand Vodka Revolution are waiting on a call to give the all-clear to reopen, potentially later on today now that the fire is out.

Journalist Saloni Mathur has shared these images from the scene this morning. They show the closed-off area of Cookridge Street next to the building and the scaffolding that already surrounded it, making it hard to see just how much damage the fire has caused.

Leeds City Museum has issued a statement confirming that it’s closed today and thanking the emergency services for their efforts to stop the fire spreading.