A skip fire could have spread to nearby homes if a passer-by had not spotted it and called the emergency services, firefighters have said.

A crew from Fairweather Green was called out to an alleyway in Arnold Place, Manningham, at about 12.30am yesterday where a skip full of household waste was ablaze.

Watch commander Ronnie Goldwater said: “Luckily a passer-by had spotted it. The building next door had started to smoulder, so it was just caught in time.”

He said the affected building was a derelict shop, but that it was attached to an occupied home and there was another occupied house on the other side of the alleyway.

He said: “It could have had serious consequences had it not been spotted so quickly.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation.