RESIDENTS of a Brighouse mill complex had to be evacuated after a fire in a first floor flat.
Dozens of people were forced to leave Mill Royd Island flats in the centre of Brighouse following the drama around 7.30pm last night.
Fire crews from Brighouse, Elland and Cleckheaton attended the fire at the complex and spent around four hours at the scene.
Many flats throughout the building reported smoke filling their flats after the fire broke out in an eletrical fuse box and set alight insulation surrounding a hot water tank.
Watch manager Andy Medlock from Brighouse fire station said: "We had many reports from residents of smoke seeping into flats. At an incident like this we usually check flats above, below and to both sides of the flat involved. But in this instance we thought the smoke was spreading more rapidly through ducting".
Crews used four breathing apparatus and a hose reel to initially deal with the fire and then used specialist positive pressure ventilation fans to help get rid of smoke in the flats.
