Major fire at 18th-century manor house in Cornwall

An 18th century manor house in Cornwall suffered a major fire today.

Smoke was reported coming from the large detached three-storey property at Milltown, Lostwithiel, this morning.

Fire crews from Lostwithiel, Bodmin and Fowey initially responded to the 999 call. They began fighting the blaze and called for more assistance.

At one point in the operation, the crew members wearing breathing apparatus were withdrawn because of the risk the blaze was posing to the firefighters.

As the incident continued, an ambulance incident commander arrived on the scene and the county’s chief fire officer was informed.

Nearly three hours after the 999, a call was made for even more firefighters to attend.

The crews used main jets, portable pumps and triple extension ladders as they tackled the flames.

The police also attended the blaze as did Cornwall Council emergency management staff and personnel from Western Power Distribution.