Firefighters were called to tackle a fire at a mental health facility in Penzance this afternoon.
The fire service alerted to the blaze at Bolitho House on Laregan Hill just after 1pm by builders who had been working on the property.
The workmen had extinguished the small fire, which started in a roof joist, by the time firefighters arrived on scene but were worried it might have spread.
Crew manager Tom Randall said roofers had been doing some hot work, probably using a blowtorch, to the external roof of one of the buildings and had acted quickly when they spotted the fire.
"One of the joists had caught fire," he said. "They had it out before we got there using a dry powder extinguisher.
"When we arrived we made sure everybody was out of the building and carried out and inspection by cutting out the flooring on the first floor to ensure the fire was fully extinguished."
Bolitho House is run by the Cornwall Partnership Trust as a community base for a range of community health services including mental health and drug and alcohol teams.
A spokeswoman for the Trust said the building had been evacuated quickly and clients and staff had been able to return inside once the fire service said it was safe.
Two fire engines with ten firefighters were sent to the property.
Fire crews used small tools to cut away at the joists and a thermal imaging to ensure that the fire was completely out.
The only damage was to the joist that had caught fire.
The fire service alerted to the blaze at Bolitho House on Laregan Hill just after 1pm by builders who had been working on the property.
The workmen had extinguished the small fire, which started in a roof joist, by the time firefighters arrived on scene but were worried it might have spread.
Crew manager Tom Randall said roofers had been doing some hot work, probably using a blowtorch, to the external roof of one of the buildings and had acted quickly when they spotted the fire.
"One of the joists had caught fire," he said. "They had it out before we got there using a dry powder extinguisher.
"When we arrived we made sure everybody was out of the building and carried out and inspection by cutting out the flooring on the first floor to ensure the fire was fully extinguished."
Bolitho House is run by the Cornwall Partnership Trust as a community base for a range of community health services including mental health and drug and alcohol teams.
A spokeswoman for the Trust said the building had been evacuated quickly and clients and staff had been able to return inside once the fire service said it was safe.
Two fire engines with ten firefighters were sent to the property.
Fire crews used small tools to cut away at the joists and a thermal imaging to ensure that the fire was completely out.
The only damage was to the joist that had caught fire.
