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Devastating blaze tears through historic mill featured in Peaky Blinders and Downton Abbey

A fire at Dalton Mills in Keighley used as a filming location for Peaky Blinders and Downton Abbey. // A major investigation is underway after a huge fire ripped through Dalton Mills in Keighley. Reports of a blaze at the historic mill complex - a favourite for film and TV companies - first emerged at around 8pm on Saturday night. In a statement, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue confirmed 12 fire engines were in attendance. The cause of the fire is not yet known, and specialist teams are at the site today. The mill has become a favourite location for film and television crews. In recent years it has featured in Peaky Blinders and Downton Abbey. Photo released 13/09/2026
Firefighters have tackled a blaze at the historic property (Picture: Newsquest/SWNS)

A major blaze has ripped through a historic building used as a filming location in Peaky Blinders and Downton Abbey.

The Grade II-listed Dalton Mills in Keighley, West Yorkshire, appeared in warehouse scenes from series one and six of Peaky Blinders.

The 150-year-old facility also served as an underground jazz club in the 2019 Downton Abbey film.

Following reports of the fire breaking out at 8pm on Saturday, a dozen fire engines arrived on the scene to tackle and limit the damage.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) confirmed that, due to the incident’s severity, a number of nearby homes had already been evacuated.

This is the fifth fire in as many years – following on from two similar events which occurred only six days apart in February 2026.

This is the latest in a series of major fires to have gutted the building (Picture: SWNS)
The hit BBC series Peaky Blinders utilised Dalton Mills as one of its filming locations (Picture: BBC)

The 19th Century building – which was first targeted by an arson attack in 2011 – had its interior destroyed by a fire in 2022.

Two teenage boys were charged with the attack, before another blaze took place in 2025.

Two further fires then ripped through the building in 2026.

Local police said at the time that they believed most of the fires to be ‘deliberate,’ but have not yet confirmed whether this latest blaze was an act of arson.

Today the fire service confirmed that the incident is ‘ongoing’ but under control, with two fire engines in attendance.

A spokesperson told the BBC: ‘Members of the public are still advised to avoid the area to allow emergency services to operate safely and effectively.’

In a post to X, Robbie Moore, MP for Keighley & Ilkley, described the situation as ‘extremely concerning.’

Sharing a video and picture from the scene, Moore wrote: ‘Fire & Rescue Services from across the region remain on site working incredibly hard to get the fire under control alongside police and ambulance service personnel who are also in attendance.’

After promising to keep his followers updated, he added: ‘Huge thanks to our emergency services for all their efforts and bravery as they continue to tackle the blaze and put out this major fire, and ensure all are safe.’

Addressing Keighley locals in the accompanying video, Moore said: ‘This situation simply can not continue.

‘You know that I’ve been calling on our local authority to secure this site as best as possible for years now, and this is our next major fire.’

Moore went on to credit emergency services as being ‘incredibly efficient’ in their response to the fire.

The building has been described as a ‘death trap’ (Pictrue: Newsquest / SWNS)
Dalton Mills featured in the 2019 Downton Abbey film(Picture: Focus Features/Kobal/Shutterstock)

In 2024, The Crown Estate took ownership of Dalton Mills after the previous owner declared bankruptcy.

The owner had planned to turn the building into an arts, cultural and wedding venue, but renovations were never completed.

It was instead hired out to TV and movie productions such as Downton Abbey and Peaky Blinders.

Keighley Civic Society secretary Jane Lee previously told the BBC that the building was a ‘death trap,’ and described the site as ‘a danger to health, safety and life.’

She called for reinforced security to prevent further trespass onto the property and subsequent arson attacks.

‘If there were another fire started accidentally, or on purpose, then anybody who happened to be on that site would find it very difficult to get out,’ she continued.

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