Fire engines in Mullion at Pure Bliss massage beauty salon in Cornwall

Two fire engines could be seen outside Pure Bliss Holistic Massage and Beauty Salon in Churchtown, with firefighters going in and out of the property.

It has now been confirmed that the incident involved towels that had been recently taken out of a tumble dryer, but suddenly burst into flames. 

Fire engines outside Pure Bliss in Mullion on Saturday morning Picture: Gilly Zella Martin

Business owner Melanie Walters told the Packet: "Unfortunately I did have a small fire in the salon. It seems that a bag of towels I had brought in, that I had just got out of the tumble dryer at home, spontaneously combusted and started a fire in the bag.

"There was no smoke or flames at first and we thought it was an electrical fire so we called the fire brigade to deal with it, as we couldn’t find the source.

"The fire brigade arrived very quickly and dealt with it immediately, they were all very kind and helpful." 

She added that the firefighters believed it may have been to do with remnants of oil left on the towels reacting to the heat - although this is the first time such a thing has happened in ten years of the business. 

The business, which offers a range of treatments including aromatherapy, hot stone and pregnancy massage, manicures and pedicures, Reiki, facials and waxing, celebrated its tenth anniversary this week.

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said crews were called just after 9.30am.

A fire service spokesperson said: "Fire appliances from Helston and Falmouth attended a call to a building which was filling with smoke. 

"Firefighters entered the building wearing two breathing apparatus and used one carbon dioxide extinguisher and a thermal imaging camera. 

"Firefighters located a fire in towels which had been washed, put through a tumble dryer and then placed in a bag. 

"A fire investigation then identified that the bag of towels had spontaneously combusted from the self heating of massage oil residue on the towels."

It comes exactly a week after a fire broke out in Falmouth, at the Ranch restaurant in Events Square. A fire broke out in the chimney in the kitchen, with smoke seen billowing from the building as the town hosted a Cornwall Pride event.

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