THE blaze which tore through Keighley's Dalton Mills earlier this year required the biggest fire service response of any West Yorkshire incident during a 12-month period.

A new report produced by the region's fire authority says that in total, 114 firefighters and eight officers attended between the start of the blaze at noon on March 3 and when it was deemed to be fully extinguished at 3.30pm on March 6.

A total of 21 fire engines were called to the scene, in Dalton Lane, plus five specialist appliances and five support vehicles in an attempt to stop the inferno spreading and save as much of the historic Grade II* listed building as possible.

Only the four outer walls of the three-storey structure at the site remained standing after the inferno, with several business premises being affected in the incident.

Dalton Mills – which was built in 1869 – was once the largest textile mill in the region, employing more than 2,000 people.

It was still home to a number of firms, and had become a popular location for movie and TV crews – with Peaky Blinders among the hit productions filmed there.

According to the fire authority report, the next biggest blaze in the 12 months to April this year was at a recycling centre in Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury, just a few days after the Keighley incident, on March 12. That fire required 102 firefighters and 15 engines.

The report details every fire that required at least six engines.

There were 30 such incidents in West Yorkshire in that period, a leap from 20 the previous year.

Other major blazes in the time period included one at a furniture business in Summerville Road, Bradford, in May 2021, which was caused by a naked flame and required a response from 102 firefighters, and a fire at a tannery at Sheepscar in February that saw 52 firefighters attend.

The future of the fire-hit Dalton Mills building is still uncertain. In some areas, all that remains is the outer shell.

But Heritage England, which inspected the site after the blaze, has said the damage is not so serious that the structure needs to be demolished for safety reasons. The organisation is now working with Bradford Council to determine the building’s future.

The fire was judged to have been caused deliberately, and five people were arrested.

West Yorkshire Police say those arrested remain under investigation.