A HAWORTH hotel was extensively damaged in a fire early this morning.

Firefighters were called to the Old Sun, in West Lane, shortly before 1.30am.

The alarm had been raised by a neighbour.

The blaze started in the kitchen and when fire crews arrived, flames were shooting through the roof.

Two large water jets and two hose reels were used to tackle the fire, from the interior of the premises and outside.

Multiple breathing apparatus sets were worn.

A special high-pressure fan was also used, to help clear smoke from the building.

"The fire caused significant damage to the kitchen and the pub area and there was a lot of smoke damage to the whole building," said watch manager Ahsan Ali, of Keighley fire station.

"We spent about four hours at the scene."

Crews attended from Keighley, Bingley, Silsden, Illingworth, Fairweather Green and Shipley fire stations.

The blaze was caused by an electrical fault.

In a notice posted on the hotel's Facebook page, bosses at the Old Sun have spoken of their devastation.

They said: "Some of you may already be aware we had a fire caused by an electric fault in the kitchen, which therefore has forced us to close. We will be going through bookings accordingly to do refunds for any bookings that were made over Christmas. We apologise for any inconvenience and will keep our Facebook page updated. We are all devastated with this tragedy and hope to be back to normal again soon! Thank you."