Bin fire at block of flats was deliberate - police

The fire occurred in a communal bin store in Micklegate House on Horsefair

A fire that saw a block of flats in Pontefract evacuated yesterday afternoon was started deliberately, police have said.

Detectives from West Yorkshire Police have appealed for footage and information after the blaze broke out in a bin store.

Emergency services were called just after 15:00 on Friday and all residents were evacuated, with engineers from Northern Gas also in attendance to make safe a gas leak.

Det Insp Steven Sayles said the fire was now being treated as arson.

He said: "This was a reckless and dangerous act and it's lucky that no one was hurt.

"We are appealing for anyone who was in the area yesterday afternoon who may have seen anything suspicious to come forward."

There were no reports of any injuries.

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