AN ACETYLENE cylinder exploded close to where firefighters were working as they tried to extinguish a fire at Trebursye.
Cornwall County Fire Brigade received several calls to a fire in a domestic garage at Trebursye at 1.42am on Wednesday, March 18.
Two appliances from Launceston attended and found the garage to be well alight. A further appliance was then sent from Callington, together with an appliance, a specialist vehicle and water carrier from Bodmin, and a further specialist appliance from St Austell.
The garage was adjoined to a workshop and measured approximately 15 metres by 10 metres, which was on fire.
There were cylinders involved in the fire and a 50 metre cordon was set up around the area and some properties evacuated.
Gary Chapman, Launceston Station Officer said one of the cylinders exploded very close to where firefighters were working. As the owner of the garage was not present they had not been certain whether there were cylinders on site but had been treating it as if there were.
He said: "We were getting to work, starting to put ground monitors in place when one exploded very close to where we were working. Fortunately no one was injured."
Station Officer Chapman said it was "quite unusual" for a acetylene cylinder to explode and it was only the second time he had seen it happen in 24 years.
Crews wearing four breathing apparatus used three jets, two ground monitors and one hose reel to extinguish the fire.
A thermal imaging camera was also used to check on temperatures.