Leeds fire: buildings evacuated after major blaze at Leonardo Building near City Museum

A fire at a derelict high rise building in Leeds caused other buildings to be evacuated.

The blaze happened at the Leonardo Building near the City Museum in the city centre on Saturday (15 October) evening. West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service have described it as an “on-going incident”.

A cordon was put in place last night and people were evacuated after the fire broke out. Our sister title the Yorkshire Evening Post has a live blog on the blaze.

Where and when was the fire?

The fire was at the Leonardo Building in Leeds city centre on Saturday night. West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue were called at 7.47pm.

In a statement on its website, the fire service said: “Ten pumps at Leeds city centre derelict high rise fire. On going incident. Top three floors still alight. Safety cordon in place and surrounding buildings have been evacuated due to potentially unsafe structure of the derelict building.

“West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is working with West Yorkshire Police and Yorkshire Ambulance Service. The Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) is also in attendance.”

The incident has been described as a “dangerous structure” and crews from Leeds Fire Station, Hunslet Fire Station, Killingbeck Fire Station, Odsal Fire Station, Moortown Fire Station, Morley Fire Station andRothwell Fire Station all attended the scene.

Buildings in the area were evacuated

The Yorkshire Evening Post reports that West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has said that 10 fire engines are currently at the scene in Cookridge Street as the top three floors of the building remain alight.

It says a safety cordon is in place and surrounding buildings have been evacuated due to potentially unsafe structure of the derelict building.

Its crews are working with West Yorkshire Police and Yorkshire Ambulance Service. The Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) is also in attendance.

The call first came in at 7.47pm, with crews from Leeds, Hunslet, Killingbeck, Odsal, Moortown, Morley and Rothwell stations in attendance.