Pilot saves planes from devastating fire at Cornwall airfield

A quick-thinking flying instructor has been praised after single-handedly saving planes from a fire at an airfield in Cornwall.

Andy Wilkins was first to react after spotting smoke billowing from a hangar at Bodmin Airfield on October 22.

He raised the alarm and managed to wheel eight planes - worth an estimated £1million - out of the hangar before the fire took hold.

Firefighters from Padstow, Bodmin and Wadebridge then arrived at the scene to tackle the blaze.

A spokesperson for Bodmin Airfield said without Andy’s intervention, the “outcome would have been disastrous”.

In a post on Facebook, the airfield said: “Troubling events at the airfield tonight - a fire in the maintenance hangar! 

“Fortunately, one of our instructors, Andy Wilkins, was staying over at the club and was able to raise the alarm and evacuate the majority of the aircraft from our  adjacent hangar before help arrived.

“Without this stroke of fortune and Andy’s great efforts, the outcome could have been disastrous.

“No-one hurt, thankfully. We have no power on site at the moment and there will be no tower facilities or training until we have had time to assess the full impact of these events.”