Medical files saved from fire

Medical records were removed as the building burned

Firefighters and staff at a doctors' surgery in Cornwall have saved thousands of medical files after the surgery was hit by an arson attack.

The fire, at the Trescobeas surgery in Falmouth, started in a wheelie bin on Sunday afternoon.

More than 40 firefighters and six appliances put out the fire.

Doctors and nurses from the surgery helped firefighters remove vital medical records as the building burned. No one was injured in the fire.

Hundreds of patients are being treated in temporary accommodation after the attack.

Fireman removed the surgery's filing cabinets

Graham Warren from the Cornwall County Fire Brigade said: "The fire started in a wheelie bin, then spread up the wall into the roof area."

Detective Constable David Neil from Devon and Cornwall Police said: "We do know that on a Sunday and other days local children and older children do play in this area and we do ask them to come forward and speak to Falmouth CID."

The surgery serves 8,300 people and about 500 visit every week.

They are currently being sent next door to the Falmouth Hospital.

Records recovered

Patients who need to see a doctor are being asked to call the surgery's usual number, which is being redirected to the Kernowdoc service.

Doctors say it will take many months to rebuild the surgery.

However, they said they were delighted that they were able to recover thousands of vital medical records in filing cabinets.

Police officers are carrying out house-to-house inquiries to try to find out who started the fire.