Brierfield house fire was a hoax

Crews were told a person was trapped inside the property, in Halifax Road, around 11-17am this morning.

When they arrived, firefighters were met at the door by the occupier of the property who confirmed there was no fire.

A fire brigade spokesman said: “We want to highlight to the community the dangers of hoax calls as they mean fire appliances are unavailable elsewhere should an incident occur.

“Hoax calls can potentially have fatal implications, which has been the case in previous instances. The community should also be aware that hoax calls are illegal and anyone caught making malicious calls can be prosecuted.”