A SOUND and lighting business in Otley is vowing to 'crack on' after suffering a major fire.

Half of Futurist Sound and Light Ltd's premises in White Swan Yard, off Boroughgate, was damaged by the blaze on Wednesday, September 7.

The alarm was raised by the manager of the nearby White Swan pub and firefighters from Otley, Cookridge, Rawdon, Shipley and Bradford arrived just before 9.30pm.

They used four breathing apparatus, two hose reels, two large jets, positive pressure ventilation fans and thermal cameras to extinguish the fire, which had engulfed half the property.

No-one was injured but the incident has left Futurist's owner, Jamie Hudson, and his team facing a major rebuilding task.

He said: "We think that about 75 per cent of the equipment has been destroyed and half of the building needs to be rebuilt, so we're not expecting to be back up and running properly again for a couple of months.

"We've had a really good rally around from local people though, and a lot of community help.

"Otley builders Richard Houldsworth told us they were coming out straight away to make the building safe and watertight and we have relocated our office into the White Swan for now.

"In terms of our upcoming shows we have got two coming up in October and one in November, and we'll just have to manage somehow, even if that means begging or borrowing equipment - the show really must go on!

"You can't get disheartened by things like this, you just have to crack on."

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue added: "Fire crews attended a fire at a single storey stone building in White Swan Yard, Otley just before 9.30pm on September 7.

"As a result of the fire the roof has been severely damaged, however there is also some damage to the building and equipment inside.

"A Fire Investigator has visited the scene and established that the cause of the fire is accidental.

"It is most likely linked to the storage and disposal of batteries.

"No one was hurt in the fire and it did not spread to any other buildings."

Otley Town Council Chairman Ray Georgeson, who lives close to the scene, witnessed the fire at first hand - and captured this image of the incident.

Futurist hires out, installs and sells theatrical lighting and sound systems and also helps produce live events, conferences and shows.