ARSONISTS caused more than £10,000 damage to a barn in the Holme Valley.
A total of 250 bales of hay were destroyed at Totties Farm, St George's Road, Scholes, when the barn was set alight at 4.15pm on Tuesday.
It took fire crews from Holmfirth and Skelmanthorpe six hours to put out the blaze.
Police are hunting the arsonists.
Children are thought to have been playing in the barn and were seen running from the scene.
Holmfirth fire station sub-officer Mick Lee said the building, which measures 80 metres by 20 metres, was gutted.
He added: "The roof had already gone when we arrived."
A 999 call from a member of the public alerted firefighters to the blaze.
No animals or farm machinery were affected.
Pc Dave McSweeney, of Huddersfield police, said they were treating the fire as arson.
A group of youngsters - two boys and two girls aged between 12 and 15 - were seen near the barn immediately before the fire.
One boy wore a red top, one of the girls had long, blonde hair and wore a white or beige jacket and the other girl had dark hair.
Witnesses, or anybody with any information, should ring Pc Phil Langton at Holmfirth police station on 01484 436863.
POLICE investigations are continuing into a fierce blaze which ripped through a Brighouse garage.
The premises of the Reliance Commercial Vehicles, an ERF lorry garage at Wakefield Road, were gutted by fire early yesterday morning.
At the height of the blaze, which started at 2am, firefighters needed nine pumps and a hydraulic platform to tackle the flames.
