Support for residents after fire at estate

A councillor has promised a building on a country estate in Cornwall will be restored to its "former glory" following a "devastating" fire.

Councillor Kate Ewert said some of the homes and holiday-lets in the Barrow Centre on the Mount Edgcumbe estate could not be saved - but pledged they would be rebuilt.

She said: "It doesn't look as though those accommodations can be saved. We will rebuild, it will be back to its former glory."

Her comments came after a blaze on the estate, at Cremyll, which saw more than 40 firefighters deployed just after 16:00 GMT on Tuesday.

Ewert, Cornwall councillor for the Rame Peninsula, said: "I want to express mine and the community's thanks to the fire crews for all they did in protecting the property there.

"It is devastating, it is absolutely devastating for our community," she said.

Dan Cox, who runs the Edgcumbe Arms at Cremyll, has offered a bed to those forced to evacuate their homes during the fire.

He said: "We have some spare rooms at the pub if anybody needs them, I think a lot of people have been moved to other cottages on the estate.

"Everybody is just in shock, I think, and pulling together this morning to see what we can do to try and make sure everybody's safe - we're devastated for those guys."

The blaze affected a converted former stables block, which created a plume of smoke which could be seen in Plymouth across the River Tamar.

In total, 40 fire service personnel from Torpoint, Liskeard, Saltash, St Austell and Launceston were in attendance, along with support from Devon and Somerset Fire & Rescue's Crownhill Fire Station.

The fire service confirmed that good progress was made by crews overnight and into Wednesday morning and that the incident had been handed over to the local park manager.

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