INVESTIGATORS were today probing the cause of one of Burnley’s largest ever fires.

Firefighters said that they were looking at whether the blaze which destroyed Woodfield Mill, on Trafalgar Street, was arson or as a result of an accident.

But they said that the intensity of the fire, which caused two sides of the mill to collapse as flames engulfed the building, meant that it had been difficult to determine its source.

At its height more than 100 firefighters, manning 22 fire engines, were battling the inferno, which saw flames shoot more than 100 feet into the air.

Firefighters were faced with a blazing gas main and the threat posed by flames spreading to the nearby Kitchen’s service station.

Thirty homes on the nearby Lisbon Drive estate were evacuated as a safety precaution and the road remain closed for nearly two days, only reopening yesterday morning.

Yesterday the ruins of the former Lupton and Place mill were still smouldering as demolition workers brought down walls made unsafe by the fire.

Burnley fire station watch manager Pete Ashworth said that firefighters were faced with major difficulties when they turned out to the mill.

He said: “We got a call just after 9.30pm to say there was smoke in the vicinity of Woodfield Mill in Trafalgar Street.

“We believe there was some offices and storage within the building.

“Around 100 firefighters and 22 engines went to the mill and we used three aerial platform ladders to help douse the blaze.

“During the incident there was two major collapses at the front of the building as walls gave way.

“There was a gas main on fire and it was near to a petrol station which were all major concerns.

“We know that the owner was on the premises at 5pm but we are unsure what has caused it so it is difficult to establish the source of the fire at this point.”

Mr Ashworth said that the fire was one of Burnley’s largest for a number of years.

He said: “We don’t get many big mill fires any more but it certainly does not get much bigger than this.

“Fire crews will be there for days because the building is liable to collapse. A section of the road could be shut for a couple of days.

“The fire was so intense that we it was burning the window frames of a derelict mill across the road so we had to bring in two pumps to create a water curtain in order to stop that building burning down.”

Firms affected by the blaze include Fastwash and Go, opposite the mill, Dexter's of Burnley painting and decorating shop and Kitchen's garage.

A spokesman for Kitchen’s garage said: "The road was closed completely at first.

"The electricity went off as well but it came back on at around 1.30am. It was very quiet on Saturday."

The mill used to be a foundry while engineering firm Lupton and Place did diecasting at the site.

In recent years the bottom floor of the mill was used for retail and storage by the decorating supplies firm, Wallsorts.

The blaze came just 24 hours before firefighters from across East Lancashire tackled a huge blaze which engulfed the former Vernon-Carus mill in Hoddlesden, near Darwen.