Inquiries were today continuing into a suspected arson blaze that wrecked a Bradford food processing factory.

Detectives from Bradford South CID are investigating the fire, at Parkam Foods, in Haycliffe Lane, Wibsey. A police spokesman said the blaze was being treated as suspicious.

A massive plume of smoke and 100-metre flames shot into the skies above Bradford as fire tore through the meat factory in the early hours of Saturday.

More than 50 firefighters from across West Yorkshire spent five hours battling the blaze. Two crews from Odsal and two from Bradford were initially called to the scene, near Grange Technology College, at 2.13am.

They were joined by six more crews, including specialist appliances and the aerial platform from Bradford, as the fire started to spread.

At its peak, flames could be seen pouring from the single-storey corrugated steel building and thick smoke billowed across the area. Part of the roof later caved in.

Howard Uttley, 64, of Haycliffe Lane, said: “I could hear the crackling of wood and I thought it was somebody breaking into my shed. When I looked out of the window, I could see all the smoke and thought somebody was burning down the school.

“I couldn’t believe it when I saw the flames going about 100 metres into the air and there was black smoke right across the area.” Mr Uttley said that, initially, firefighters struggled to find water hydrants because of the deep snow covering.

But crews battled through the freezing conditions to save most of the factory.

“It would have been really difficult for them,” said Mr Uttley.

A woman neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: “I shouted to ask if we were all right or needed to get out but they were running up and down with oxygen tanks on their backs.

“I’ve never seen so many firemen and there was just really thick black and brown smoke.”

Odsal watch commander Peter Rushby said crews braved treacherous road conditions to get to the blaze after flames spread from a storage yard.

“There was a lot of smoke and flames when we arrived,” he said. “The fire had spread from the yard into the building and there were still isolated pockets of fire later on in the day.

“There was at least two or three inches of snow on the ground, which hampered the appliances getting to the incident.

It was very treacherous on the roads and, once we were there, we started using water which was freezing.”

Mr Rushby said the firefighters managed to save all but a fifth of the factory, which produces packaged meat. A West Yorkshire Fire service command unit remained at the site on Saturday and firefighters were still working to make the area safe.

Police stood guarding a large cordon surrounding the building while factory bosses, who had been there for most of the night, assessed the extent of the damage.