A huge fire broke out on Thursday (3 March) at a Grade-II listed building recently used as a filming location for the popular TV show Peaky Blinders.
The fire, believed to have been started deliberately, engulfed the entire building, completely destroying the interior along with the floor and roof.
Police are treating a fire at Dalton Mills in Keighley yesterday as arson after officers were called to the fire shortly after 12pm.
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Five arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) said: "We were called at 12.03 to reports of a fire at Dalton Mills on Dalton Lane in Keighley."
Over 100 firefighters are said to have attended the blaze.
Speaking to Yorkshire Live, Keighley mayor Julie Adams said that fire was 'devastating' for the town.
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"It's such an iconic building. It's very tragic."
Robbie Moore, the MP for Keighley & Ilkley said: "Today, it has been absolutely devastating to watch Dalton Mills, one of Keighley’s jewels burn to the core.
"I can’t thank our emergency services enough for all their efforts, bravery & heroism today in dealing with this horrific incident."
Residents of the area have been sharing photos and videos of the inferno on Twitter.
Dalton Mills was built by Joseph Craven in in 1869, replacing the original mill from the 1780’s.
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In its' heyday, the mill was claimed to be the largest textile mill in West Yorkshire, massing over 2,000 employees
In recent years the location had regularly been used as a filming location for many shows and films, including Peaky Blinders, Downton Abbey, and The Great Train Robbery.
Richard Knight from Screen Yorkshire has described the disaster as 'a sad loss to the Yorkshire filmmaking landscape'.
While this isn't the first time a fire has occurred at Dalton Mills, it is certainly the most damaging.
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On 1 January 2011, a fire broke out and destroyed parts of the building. This fire was treated as suspicious and was later determined to be arson.
After the decline of the textile industry the mill was virtually empty up until 2004. John Craven, the great-great-grandson of Joseph Craven, eventually sold the mill to Magna Holdings in an attempt to ensure its permanence.
The building had previously been considered at-risk, but had been taken off English Heritage's at-risk register in 2015 after being partially restored due to falling in disrepair.
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Bradford CID are appealing for any witnesses who may have seen anything suspicious around 11.30am – 12pm.
Any information can be given to Bradford CID via 101 or the live chat facility at www.westyorkshire.police.uk/contactus quoting crime ref 13220116901.
Information can also be given to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
Featured Image Credit: Alamy/Twitter/@WYFRSTopics: UK News, Peaky Blinders
