Fire breaks out at St Ives waterfront bar

Three hurt in St Ives waterfront bar kitchen explosion

St Ives Image copyright Sloop Inn Webcam
Image caption Police, ambulance and fire crew attended

Three people have been hurt in a fire at a bar on the waterfront in St Ives.

A member of kitchen staff has been airlifted to hospital following an explosion in the kitchen of the Balcony Bar and Kitchen in Wharf Road.

Police said one person had "potentially serious burns". Two other members of staff were also injured, but none of the diners in the bar were hurt.

One witness described hearing an explosion then seeing "a massive plume of smoke" at the popular tourist spot.

It happened at about 15:20 BST. The harbour front was temporarily closed by emergency services but has since reopened.

Image copyright EPA
Image caption A member of kitchen staff was taken to hospital by air ambulance with "potentially serious burns"

John Chard told the BBC he was on his boat when he saw "what appeared to be some sort of explosion".

"Something blew up - maybe a gas cylinder. There was a massive plume of smoke for about 30 seconds," he added.

Image caption The fire broke out at The Balcony Bar in St Ives, Cornwall
Image copyright Malcolm Rae
Image caption A witness reported seeing a large plume of smoke