MANY people across Keighley and beyond could hardly have failed to see the dramatic evidence at the weekend of the town's latest mill fire.

A massive and dramatic pall of thick, black smoke could be seen rising from historic Aireworth Mills at Stockbridge.

And as you got closer to the scene, the sheer ferocity of the blaze became fully apparent.

It was truly sad to see another piece of our rich industrial heritage engulfed in flames.

Too many of our district's former textile mills have become 'victims' over the years.

Our thoughts are with the owners of Stockbridge Tyres – where the fire broke out – and their staff, as they desperately try to salvage what they can from the ruins of their business.

Hopefully, the firm, in time, will recover and rebuild.

If the team does achieve that, it will be down in no small part to the fantastic efforts of the firefighters who attended on Saturday.

Their work, particularly the quick actions of the initial crews on the scene, contained the blaze within the tyres unit.

Not only did they save part of that premises, but they prevented the flames spreading to other businesses within the mill complex.

Without their prompt response, the situation could have been a whole lot worse.