Armley fire: Steam Complex and bingo hall gutted by blaze – UPDATED

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Firefighters across West Yorkshire have been attending a fire at the Steam Complex gay sauna in Armley overnight.

The fire at the sauna and bingo hall building in Ayres Avenue broke out before 3am and resulted in the closure of Stanningley Road westbound earlier today.

The road is now open but Theaker Lane remains closed. Traffic is slow moving in the area.

It’s understood no-one was hurt in the incident. At its peak residents had been advised to stay indoors and keep their windows closed.

West Yorkshire Fire service said 10 appliances attended the blaze at its peak and officers remain on the scene dampening down. The fire is believed to have broken out in the roof space of the building.

UPDATED 3pm:

Firefighters have this afternoon been praised for preventing the fire in the sauna from reaching the bingo hall.

Area Manager Nick Smith, who was incident commander, said:

“Firefighters worked in very difficult conditions to tackle the fire when they arrived. They acted quickly to enter the building and stop the fire spreading, which has saved the bingo hall from damage.”

Mr Smith also praised control room staff for their decision to mobilise a number of additional appliances at the time of the call to ensure firefighters were able to tackle the fire more effectively and safely in the early stages.

Four fire engines from Stanningley, Killingbeck, Garforth and Cookridge and one aerial appliance from Bradford remained at the scene this morning to damp down.

Three nearby homes were evacuated due to potential collapse of the building, but residents have since been able to return safely.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.



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