Shops had to be evacuated as fire swept through a furniture store on Saturday.

The blaze is believed to have been caused by a spark from work being carried out on the first floor of the former Rob Roy's nightclub in North Street which is currently being converted into flats.

Furniture belonging to Airedale Furnishings was set alight in the store room below.

Ken Larkin was one of two workmen who tried to put out the blaze and then raised the alarm. "We were working on the first floor and it must have been a spark that dropped through the floor which started the fire," he said.

People were evacuated from an adjoining hairdressers, newsagents and fishing-tackle shop as the fire took hold and thick black smoke billowed out from the building.

Hairdresser Joanne Lynam was busy in her salon at the time of the incident. "A builder came in and said dial 999," she said. "We rang and were then told to get out of the shop. Clients have had to come out with their hair wet."

One of the clients, Rachael Hodgson, said: "One minute we were getting our hair done, the next we were out in the street."

Crowds gathered in the sunshine as fire crews from Keighley fought the blaze. They were backed up by crews from Bingley and Haworth.

An access door at the back of the building had to be forced open before firefighters wearing breathing apparatus could safely enter the building. It took around forty minutes for the fire to be brought under control and a further hour damping down.

Azhar Ulhaq, co-owner of Airedale Furnishings, is devastated after the fire wrecked his store. "It's a disaster, particularly on the eve of Eid," he said. "It's a family firm and a lot of hard work has gone into it over the last five years."

Azhar said they would be looking for a temporary base to continue trading while the store is repaired. "We are looking to open up as soon as possible and are looking for somewhere else in Keighley," he added.

The building work on the first and second floors is part of a venture using Single Regeneration Budget cash to create 16 flats. Nasser Malik, who owns the property told the Keighley News that the fire would not affect the project.

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