KEIGHLEY residents have spoken of their "devastation" after an iconic building in town was consumed by flames this afternoon.

Dalton Mills, on Dalton Lane, caught fire at around noon today, prompting a huge emergency response from a number of agencies.

Engines from more than 20 West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue stations were in attendance, along with specialist equipment such as aerial units, and at one point more than 100 firefighters were tackling the blaze.

HOW IT HAPPENED: See how events unfolded as huge fire engulfed Dalton Mills

Police, paramedics, Yorkshire Water and Environment Agency were also at the scene.

The police established both an outer and inner cordon as plumes of the smoke could be seen for miles despite inclement weather.

Initial reports indicated the fire had started in the roof, but when firefighters arrived at the scene they discovered the ground floor was alight.

Local residents and workers who could see the flames explained how quickly the fire spread.

Nick Stoker, a health and safety co-ordinator at nearby business Teconnex, said: "I got up on the roof of our building when it started, but within five minutes it spread through the building.

"Once the flames went up, you could see them spread very, very fast."

"When it started out it was only light and you could see it in one window, but it got considerably worse - it spread so quickly," said Keighley resident Chris Walker. "You could smell the smoke from the centre of town."

Workers at Hunter Pest Services located in Keighley said that the fire broke out at around 12.20pm and within half an hour the roof was collapsing. They added that two parked cars and a van were also on fire.

One eyewitness at the scene said: "There's loads of fire engines, loads of smoke. They're ready for it to collapse at the moment. It's spread, they are trying to save one part of the building."

Robbie Moore, Keighley and Ilkley MP, tweeted: "Extremely concerning scenes at Dalton Mills in Keighley.

"Hoping and praying everyone is safe during this horrific incident.

"Huge thanks to emergency services for getting to scene so quickly."

A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “We are working with the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service as part of a multi-agency response to the incident.

“We have opened The Leisure Centre in Keighley as a rest centre to provide shelter for residents affected, but all residents have now been advised that it’s safe for them to return to their homes.

“Dalton Lane is still closed between Bradford Road and Riverside.

“We urge people to keep checking the usual channels for updates. We thank residents for their patience and cooperation.”

Cllr Susan Hincliffe, leader of Bradford Council, tweeted on Thursday evening: "I just spoke to the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service commander to thank him and his colleagues for fighting the terrible fire at Dalton Mills today in Keighley.

"A sad day for Keighlians. Heartbreaking to see one of our great architectural gems aflame."

Paul Aird, who is from Haworth but works at a business on Dalton Lane, said: “It’s devastating, it’s a piece of Keighley history.

"It’s an iconic building, it's been used for filming. They've done a lot of work on it in recent years."

Mick Westerman, Keighley town councillor, added: “It’s a shame because they’ve brought the building back to life in the past few years.

"Keighley is an engineering and manufacturing town, and there just aren't any mills in the town anymore.

“They’ve spent a lot of money on it. It’s terrible because there are a lot of small businesses there and a lot of community groups that use it. A lot of it was for the children.

"This could have a big cost to the economy. Hopefully these small businesses don't have to close down."

"It's a shame to lose a building like that," added Mr Stoker, "It's an icon in the town".

"It's been here for well over a hundred years. It plays a massive part in the history of Keighley

"It's been very popular for filming because it has a distinctive archway and some old cobbles on the ground.

"It will be such a shame not to see it there. It's a fixture of the town and there are quite a lot of businesses there.

My dad used to have a business in the mill 20 years ago," added Mr Stoker. "He was a gardener and landscaper and he used to store all his equipment in the building.

"The mill will have been a big part of his life for ten years."

As health and safety co-ordinator, Nick said he was directing traffic to the Teconnex car park as a way to leave the area because roads were closed off due to the fire.

"We opened our car park to accommodate people going home."

Oliver Thornton, who runs Soaring Eagle Karate, said it was a scary thing when he saw the images and videos crop up on social media of Dalton Mills in Keighley in flames.

"It was a scary thing when I saw the scenes.

"We are in the same complex, so hopefully it does not spread across.

"I have not heard anything from our landlord yet.

"It is not surprising that it has happened in that derelict building.

"There has not been anything in the main building for at least eight years."

There is currently no information about how the blaze started.