WATCH: 'Loud explosions' at Leeds fire captured on video by worried onlookers

Name: Leeds city centre fire rages at Leonardo Building
Uploaded: 2022-10-15T21:42:20.000Z
Duration: 26 s
Description: Neil Whitley captured this footage of a major blaze in Leeds city centre which has seen flames engulfing the Leonardo Building in Cookridge Street.

Worried onlookers have captured a huge fire in Leeds on camera.

By james mitchinson

Published 15th Oct 2022, 21:53 BST

Updated 15th Oct 2022, 23:18 BST

Tweeting that the fire looked to be winning the battle against firefighters, Josh Gardner captured this video of the blaze and said he could hear loud explosions coming from the site.

The fire appears to have broken out in the Leonardo Building or the neighbouring Thoresby House, both of which are currently being redeveloped.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has said that 10 fire engines are currently at the scene in Cookridge Street as the top three floors of the building remain alight.

It says a safety cordon is in place and surrounding buildings have been evacuated due to potentially unsafe structure of the derelict building.

Its crews are working with West Yorkshire Police and Yorkshire Ambulance Service. The Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) is also in attendance.

The call first came in at 7.47pm, with crews from Leeds, Hunslet, Killingbeck, Odsal, Moortown, Morley and Rothwell stations in attendance.

Leeds Yorkshire Ambulance Service West Yorkshire Police