Talks will be held tomorrow to see when one of Huddersfield’s most popular petrol stations can reopen after a devastating fire at the weekend.

Six fire engines and an aerial appliance were called to the Birchencliffe filling station on Saturday morning as the blaze tore through the shop.

Looters tried to raid the wrecked shop on Saturday night but were chased away by security staff.

The blaze began in the roof and quickly spread, causing huge damage to the Central England Cooperative fuel station and convenience store in Halifax Road.

The road was shut as firefighters fought to bring the blaze under control. They spent several more hours on scene damping down.

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Smoke was first seen by a customer at the shop who noticed what looked like steam coming through the roof tiles.

He alerted staff who evacuated the shop and called the fire service.

Watch commander Chris Bell from Huddersfield fire station said: “The fire got into the roof space of the building and caused 100% damage.

“It spread very rapidly and caused very difficult conditions for us.

“What was remarkable was the speed with which the fire crews dealt with it.”

The tank for the petrol at the station is underground and he said it was made safe through an isolation switch.

The fire takes hold at Birchencliffe petrol station
The fire takes hold at Birchencliffe petrol station

“It was a nasty incident, but thankfully there were no injuries,” Watch Commander Bell added. “The shop staff did very well.”

The blaze broke out shortly before 10am and took an hour and a half to bring under control.

At its height, plumes of thick black smoke could be seen coming from the roof of the shop.

Halifax Road and some nearby streets were closed, causing delays for many shoppers who were heading into and out of Huddersfield town centre.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

Central England Cooperative will be talking to emergency services today to see when the filling station can reopen.

A spokeswoman for Central England Cooperative said: “It is currently too early to give precise detail on the incident.

“Staff and customers are safe and well. We are working closely with the emergency services to provide all possible assistance.”

She said they are very keen for the filling station to be reopened as soon as possible.

“We will be speaking to the emergency services about the situation on Monday. It is a very popular shop and filling station, but we obviously cannot say when it will reopen at this stage. Safety is our top priority.”