Fire breaks out at restaurant in Cornwall - road closed in St Ives

Firefighters were called to a blaze at around 5.30am. Credit: BPM Media

A restaurant in Cornwall has been damaged by a fire - with roads in St Ives still closed hours later.

Fire crews were called to The Balcony restaurant, in Fore Street, at around 5.30am on Wednesday 20 October.

Half a dozen fire engines from Penzance and St Ives initially attended the incident and discovered a large fire.

Fore Street was then closed and Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service sent a number of other specialised firefighting vehicles to the restaurant.

More than half a dozen vehicles were sent to the fire in the early hours of this morning. Credit: BPM Media.

Ian Neal, group manager for the fire service, said a large number of vehicles attended because the fire was initially flagged as "persons reported", which means a caller said someone might be trapped inside the building on fire.

"We were faced with a fully developed fire within the property. Crews acted extremely well," he said.

Fire crews were initially told there might be someone stuck in the building while it was on fire. Credit: BPM Media.

"We're happy to say that all persons have been accounted for and no-one has been hur.

"We'll keep the resources here until we're 100 per cent confident that the fire has been extinguished and the area is safe to leave."

The road is expected to remain closed for some time, while the service advised people to avoid the area.