FIFTY adult students had to be evacuated from their classes and an 83-year-old woman was left homeless after two separate fires in Helston and Porthleven on Monday.

Amelia Vincent and her 17-year-old grandson, Daniel Murphy, who lives with her during term time, managed to escape from their bungalow at Torleven Road, Porthleven, before the first of the two fires took hold.

Firefighters battled for over two hours to bring the blaze under control, but the property was left uninhabitable.

Mr Murphy told the Packet his grandmother had raised the alarm after the fire broke out soon after 5.30am on Monday.

He said: "There had been an odd smell in the house for a couple of days. My grandmother got up and the smell was much stronger. She turned the shower on and the fuse box just blew up."

Mrs Vincent woke her grandson and the pair escaped from the house before the flames took hold.

Mr Murphy said: "There were lots of blue sparking flashes on the pylons and in the house. Then it really got going and the flames started coming out through the kitchen roof.

"The fire brigade came and did a superb job, although they had to wait for a while because the electricity company had to isolate the supply and they took a while to get here."

Crews from Helston fire station tackled the blaze, assisted by personnel from Mullion and Camborne fire stations.

Sub-officer Andy Wilkinson, from the Helston station, along with colleagues Mike Williams, Andy Martin and Nigel Bassett were in the forefront of operations.

The fire eventually brought under control, brigade personnel remained at the scene damping down, only returning to their Helston base some four hours after first being alerted.

Despite their ordeal, Mr Murphy said he and his grandmother were both "absolutely fine." They had moved into a friend's flat in Porthleven while the damage was assessed and repairs carried out.

"We had to move out," he said. "There are holes in the kitchen roof and lots of smoke damage and water damage. Plus we didn't have any electricity or water, and no phone. Hopefully we should be able to move back in in about two to three weeks."

In the second incident, later the same day, 50 mature students attending adult education classes at Helston Community College had to be evacuated from lessons after a fire broke out in the lower school building.

About £200 worth of damage was caused and police and fire officers are now investigating what they suspect was an arson attack.

Forensic examinations were due to take place at the college yesterday. Most of the damage was to walls and floors in a ground floor corridor at the lower school site, in Church Hill.

It was about 8pm that students, who were attending lessons were told to leave the building along with teachers while members of the fire brigade investigated the fire.

The group congregated on the grass outside the front of the building and there was initially some confusion over the cause of the fire alarms going off, as it was not know whether it was a false alarm or an actual fire.

Crews from Helston fire station arrived within minutes after being automatically alerted when the fire alarms were set off. The fire fighters were later joined by colleagues from Mullion fire station.

Officers from Helston police station were called half an hour later to carry out their own investigations, as well as a fire investigation officer.

The suspected arson attack is being linked to criminal damage that took place at the school overnight between Sunday and Monday, when two panes of glass were smashed at the back of the school.

Police spokesman Sergeant Alan Mobbs told the Packet: "We think they're probably linked in one way or another. Investigations are ongoing."

He confirmed that the fire on Monday, which began at around 8pm, was being treated as arson and that some kind of accelerant - such as a petrol soaked rag - had been used.

Trish Hewitt, from Cornwall county council - which is responsible for the college - said on behalf of the school: "The matter is currently being investigated by police. We cannot make any further comment at this time."

Dr Pat McGovern, head teacher at Helston Community College, declined to comment and referred all inquiries to the county council.