Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Newsdesk

Carpenter Court, Bodmin at 05/11/2009 19:13

Fire Control received a call at 1913 hours to a property 51 Carpenter Court, Bodmin, this was from a passer-by who stated the door was on fire at the front of the property. Two crews were initially dispatched from Bodmin, the first appliance arriving on scene within six minutes and the second on scene within ten minutes, a further appliance was requested and attended from Lostwithiel. The command support vehicle from Truro also attended. A total of 30 fire fighters attended the incident.
On arrival, crews were informed that a person was still in the building, they were faced with a fully developed fire which had engulfed a three storey building and was spreading to adjacent properties. Four fire fighters wearing breathing apparatus used two jets to tackle the fire and search the building for the missing person, conditions in the building were extremely hazardous for fire fighters.
Whilst tackling the fire and searching the building, the crews found a 59 year old female who was confirmed deceased at the scene. Two fire fighters were treated at scene for the effects of heat exhaustion as a result of their efforts in fighting the fire and searching for the casualty.
Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service currently has a Specialist Fire Investigation Team on scene and are working in conjuction with Devon & Cornwall Police to establish the cause of the fire. At the present time we cannot comment on the cause of the fire or release the name of the 59 year old female.
An initial investigation of the premises has taken place and the premises has been made secure. A more detailed investigation will begin tomorrow (Friday). Further details will be made available as the investigation progresses.