Arson suspected as historic Huddersfield mill destroyed by major blaze

ARSON is suspected after a major blaze ripped through a historic Huddersfield mill.

Newsome Mill in Huddersfield was founded in 1827 and was in use as a textile mill until 1983.

The West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to the scene at 4.50am yesterday. The whole building was ablaze and 20 fire engines in total were sent in with around 100 firefighters to control the spreading of the flames.

By daybreak the fire was starting to come under control and the fire service scaled down operations, but the mill was destroyed and is now set for demolition.

The blaze has prompted fresh concerns after fires at a number of derelict or unoccupied buildings across the Kirklees area, and police are treating the Newsom Mill fire as a suspected arson attack.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service area manager Ian Bitcon said: “This was a fully established fire by the time our crews arrived on the scene. Thankfully no-one has been hurt but the mill building could not be saved, signifying the sad loss of a historic building.

“Our crews have worked hard throughout the morning to get the fire under control and stop it spreading to surrounding buildings and their success is commendable.

“Nearby houses were evacuated as a precaution, as well as a number of businesses, and road closures caused some congestion in the area.

“It is likely the fire will continue to burn for a number of days and due to the area being unsafe firefighters cannot go inside the building. We are working with partners to develop our plan over the next few days with regards demolition.

“We are working with our Police colleagues but at the moment we cannot identify a link between these fires.

“We would like the owners of these types of unoccupied buildings to take every precaution to prevent a fire in their property, specifically making the building as secure as possible and keeping a regular eye on it.”

Photos courtesy of the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service