Rare archive photos chart 150 years of West Yorkshire fire service

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) has opened its vault of pictures to give people an insight into some of the incredible photos taken over more than a century of its history. Photos that have been revealed show pictures which range from Leeds firefighters on a two-horse drawn pump in the 1880s, up to fiery pictures of a corn field fire this summer in the hot weather. The service’s photographer Ken Wilkinson said they still have some archived photos on negatives that have never been converted to pictures. He said: “Our archive of pictures has now topped an incredible two million and we have taken this opportunity to have a look back over some of the most iconic and dramatic photos we have. Most of our photographs are in picture format, but there are still some that have been left as negatives, and they are just waiting to be converted. We wanted to celebrate this landmark number of photos by revealing some of the most dramatic and interesting ones we have.” The images are being revealed as WYFRS undergoes an incredible modernisation with a development to include a state-of-the art urban search and rescue training centre. The new sustainable headquarters, training centre and fire station will ensure firefighter learning in West Yorkshire is future proof. READ MORE: How Leeds City Police protected and served a city for generations LOVE LEEDS? LOVE NOSTALGIA? Join Leeds Retro on facebook