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From stranded cows to kitchen fires: Cornwall firefighters' storm-hit weekend

Monday, 26 October 2026 at 08:28

By Kate Lockett

Firefighters and specialist rope rescue teams were called to Breage after two cows fell around 20 feet onto a quarry ledge during a busy weekend of storm-related incidents (credit: Jones Cornwall)

As Storm Boelo and Storm Austen swept through Cornwall, emergency crews dealt with everything from property fires and power-related incidents to rescuing two cows stranded on a quarry ledge near Breage.

Thousands of properties were left without electricity during the storms, with some households only having power restored within the past 24 hours.

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said many of its weather-related call-outs involved damaged power lines and arcing cables, working alongside National Grid engineers to make affected areas safe.

One of the more unusual incidents happened near Breage on Saturday morning, when specialist rescue teams were called after two cows fell around 40 feet onto a ledge in a quarry.

Credit: Jones Cornwall 

Crews from St Just, along with specialist rope rescue teams from Tolvaddon and Bodmin, attended the scene. Firefighters cut back heavy vegetation and devised a plan to create a safe escape route for the animals before leaving the situation in the hands of the owner.

Elsewhere, firefighters attended several fires across Cornwall over the weekend.

In Penzance on Sunday afternoon, crews from Penzance and St Just were called to a property after burnt food filled the building with smoke. Firefighters ventilated the property and made the scene safe.

Just hours later, crews in St Austell responded to reports of smoke coming from a neighbour's property. However, on arrival they discovered the cause was a pest control smoke bomb rather than a fire.

Also on Sunday afternoon, three crews from Hayle, Penzance and St Ives tackled a kitchen fire in a flat in Penzance. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus extinguished the blaze, and all occupants were accounted for safely.

Meanwhile, crews attended a chimney fire in Camborne and a smoke-logged Rayburn in Stithians, both of which required firefighters to extinguish small fires within chimney flues.

On Friday, crews from Bodmin and Launceston attended a two-vehicle collision on the eastbound A30 at Bolventor. Firefighters used specialist rescue equipment to make the scene safe while the road remained closed for a police investigation.

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