Firefighters tackle blaze in empty council offices

Dozens of firefighters have tackled a blaze in former council offices in St Austell, Cornwall.

The fire was thought to have started in a corridor on the first floor of one of the empty buildings on Penwinnick Road at about 13:00 BST, Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said.

Jason Boeuf, the service's incident commander, said crews managed to stop the fire from spreading.

Mr Boeuf said six fire engines and an aerial ladder were sent to the scene.

"It was great initial tactics and intervention by the firefighting teams," he said.

"It could have escalated quite quickly because it was spreading to the roof space."

An investigation into the cause of the blaze is now under way, the service said.

The buildings had formerly been the headquarters of the now-defunct Restormel Borough Council.

They were vacated in 2022.

Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.