An investigation was under way today into the cause of a blaze at a community centre in Holme Wood, Bradford.

The fire, which broke out at around 6pm on Saturday, saw flames tear through the roof of Pit Hill Community Environment Centre, in Holme Lane.

About a third of the roof was damaged in the blaze while the rest of the building was left severely smoke-logged.

Firefighters from Bradford, Odsal and Stanningley put out the flames.

The centre was last used by children’s playgroup Kidzone but has stood empty for the past 18 months. One resident, who lives nearby, said: “There was lots of black smoke and the next thing I knew I saw some flames coming up.

“The fire service came very quickly, otherwise the whole building could have been caught up in it. I heard them hammering to get inside. It used to be used as a children’s centre. The alarm’s been going off for three months but nobody seemed to have keys for the building.”

Councillor Alan Wainwright (Lab, Tong), chairman of Holme Wood and Tong Partnership, said: “The building’s been empty for 18 months. It has been kept secure because the alarm has been going off and it took a while for someone to get inside. We are reviewing buildings in the area as part of a housing review.”

Councillor John Ruding (Lab, Tong), said: “The building was under review so while it’s sad to see it damaged in this way, in all probability it wouldn’t have been there for much longer anyway. We really could do with getting to know what the cause of the fire was.”

A spokesman for Stanningley fire station confirmed an investigation was under way into the cause of the fire.