THOUSANDS of pallets, an articulated lorry and outbuildings were turned into ash in a huge industrial blaze.
Firefighters from Mirfield and Dewsbury helped crews from across the area tackle the inferno at a pallet yard on Millfield Lane in Horbury Bridge yesterday evening.
Eight homes were evacuated as a precaution at the height of the blaze.
Fire crews received the call at 5.50pm. The first engine on site asked for back-up due to the severity of the fire.
Another five engines containing two dozen officers were despatched.
Fire crews, using an aerial platform, fought to bring the blaze under control for more than three hours.
Ossett Station Manager Roy Dale said in the 28 years he had worked as a fireman it was one of the hottest fires he had encountered.
He added: "The flames were going 60 and 70 feet in the air and it was incredibly hot.
"A major problem in the early stages was just getting near it.
"The ambient temperature was so hot it made just approaching the fire difficult.
"The site contained pallets which were very dry and they were very combustible.
"An articulated lorry also went up and some diesel tanks exploded.
"There were crews there throughout the night damping the site down and making sure it didn't go into flame again.
"All that is left is ash - there are the metal parts of the lorry but everything else has been burned and reduced to ash."
The cause of the blaze is now being investigated.
* Fire crews battled a huge grass fire at Longwood Edge yesterday.
Emergency services were alerted to the blaze at 3pm.
On arrival they discovered a stretch of grassland approximately 200m by 50m on fire.
After initial difficulties the fire crews from Huddersfield managed to get the blaze under control.
However appliances had to visit the site throughout the night and continue damping down due to the likelihood of the dry grass catching fire again.
