The West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service was alerted to the blaze at the Eurocam Technology Park in West Bowling just after 10:00pm.
The building – used for the storage of flour, seeds, herbs and spices – was “100% on fire”, according to the fire service. It had been extensively damaged and the warehouse had collapsed in places due to the heat.
Two combined aerial rescue pumps, 15 firefighting pumps and supporting resources and about 80 firefighters battled the blaze.
Electricity to some nearby premises was temporarily cut off and people were advised to close doors and windows due to the large plumps of smoke in the area.
Battling the fire
West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue posted a video of crews battling the fire on its website (see below).
The conflagration was under control by 4:00am this morning, with crews remaining on site all day to damp down. It was still unsafe for firefighters to enter the building at the time of reporting.
Deputy chief fire officer Dave Walton said: “The fire overnight in Bradford has been incredibly challenging for crews who worked tirelessly to try and prevent it from spreading.
“However, as the building is now structurally unsafe we will not put them at any risk by sending crews inside.”
The ground floor offices were the least damaged and crews worked with the owner this morning to salvage office equipment. The cause of the fire is currently unknown.
Cause of the fire is currently unknown
Police were called to the site to close the roads surrounding the warehouse.
Gordon Rhodes senior director Ian Rhodes thanked the fire service for their quick response and support and was striving to get back up and running as quickly as possible.
“A business contingency plan is currently being put in place that will allow us to continue to trade and support our customer’s needs with the same level of service and quality that they have come to expect from Gordon Rhodes & Son,” added Rhodes.
“Thankfully there were no members of staff in the building at the time of the fire.”
Meanwhile, last month, a lorry transporting 25t of Lion chocolate bars was engulfed by flames, causing hours of delays for motorists heading to London.