YOUNG arsonists were thought to be behind a fire which swept through an old tannery near York.

Residents were warned to keep their windows shut at the height of the blaze at Strensall, and at one stage firefighters feared neighbours might have to be evacuated.

A fire chief said he was confident the fire in the building, which had already been targeted twice by arsonists in recent months, had been started deliberately.

Police said three youths were spotted running away from the site shortly before the fire broke out, at about 6pm yesterday.

Residents claimed that a former tannery site near York was a potential "death trap for kids", after a fire wrecked part of the building.

People living near the former tannery in Sheriff Hutton Road, Strensall, were told to keep their doors and windows shut, after firefighters warned that toxic fumes could spread when the blaze began on the top floor shortly before 6pm yesterday.

They said the building, which has already been attacked twice by arsonists in recent months, had become a magnet for vandals since it stopped operating a year ago.

A large crowd watched as two dozen firefighters from Huntington, York and Acomb tackled the blaze, which burned a huge hole in the tannery roof and completely destroyed much of the third floor.

Two aerial platforms were brought to the scene to help douse the flames from above, as thick black smoke billowed down the street.

Fire chiefs initially feared nearby residents would have to be evacuated from their homes, before emergency crews managed to contain the blaze.

Trevor Lund, a group manager for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said he was "confident" the fire had been started deliberately.

Inspector Nigel Tottie, of North Yorkshire Police, said three youths had been spotted running away from the building.

Mr Lund said: "It was a stupid thing to do - it could have put people at risk, particularly those in surrounding houses.

"It's quite possible that people were messing about and it got out of control - or it could be a deliberate attempt to burn the building down."

Evelyn Pulleyn, who lives near the tannery, said the fire had been an "accident waiting to happen".

She said: "It was scary because we thought the kids might still be in there.

"We could smell the smoke in the house, even with the doors and windows shut."

Former tannery employee Steve Woodall, of Strensall, said the building had turned into a "death trap" since it became derelict.

"It should be pulled down," he said. "It's a death trap for kids."

David Sherwood, former manager of the tannery, said he was "saddened" by the devastating fire in the historic building.

"Kids are breaking in every week at the moment," he said.

"It's just inevitable that they've gone this far."

Anyone with any information about the blaze is asked to phone North Yorkshire Police on 0845 6060247.

City of York Council last year granted outline planning permission to Charles F Stead and Co Ltd for a large business park on the tannery site, which would bring 350 jobs to the village.

Updated: 10:57 Tuesday, March 29, 2005