FIREFIGHTERS have saved valuable artworks following a blaze at a popular tourist attraction in St Ives on Monday.
Firefighters were called to the Tate St Ives Gallery at 12.30pm to deal with a fire which is thought to have been started by a deep-fat fryer.
By 2.20pm ten firefighters from St Ives and a crew from Penzance had extinguished the fire and crews ventilated the building.
Around 300 people were evacuated from the gallery.
A fire service spokesman said crews had managed to ventilate the building effectively and prevent the smoke entering the galleries where works of art were displayed.
He said the fire service had received a "number of calls" alerting it to the fire at lunchtime.
"When it started, everyone would have been asked to leave the building," he said.
"We have no reports of anyone missing."
A spokesman for Tate St Ives said: "Just after noon a small fire broke out in the kitchen at Tate St Ives. It was quickly contained.
"Nobody was hurt in the incident. There is no damage to artworks or the building.
"However, some refurbishment to the kitchen will be necessary."
The gallery, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and was opened by Prince Charles 20 years ago, reopened at 10am on Tuesday.
On May 17, the Queen and Prince Philip were treated to a sneak preview of the new summer exhibition during the royal couple's official visit to west Cornwall.
The exhibition includes work by Barbara Hepworth, Gareth Jones and Marlow Moss.