Firefighters tackle 10th storey blaze

The fire was reported at about 11pm yesterday at the building on Shakespeare Grange, Burmantofts.

At its height, some 25 firefighters took part in the operation, which meant lugging heavy equipment up to the flat.

Watch commander Matthew Walsh from Gipton Station said: “The flat was unoccupied and was boarded up with security grills so we had to use cutting gear to gain access, then put the fire out, which had been smouldering for some time.”

He said that although surrounding flats were occupied, no-one needed to be evacuated, adding the cause of the fire was under investigation.

Earlier the same day, crews attended a chip pan fire at a house on Neville Place, Gipton, at about 8pm - three people managed to leave the house safely before crews arrived to deal with the fire.