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Man pulled from rubble of house explosion was carrying out renovations[1]
A man pulled from the rubble of an explosion that caused an entire house to collapse is believed to have been a workman carrying out renovations. A neighbour said he’d seen two workmen – thought to be plumbers – working on the house in Blackburn on Sunday, before a huge blast devastated the terraced house. The man, who wished to stay anonymous, said it looked like a ‘bomb had gone off’ as emergency crews scrambled to the scene in London Road just after 7.30pm.
Dramatic aerial photographs taken today (Mon) show how the roof has caved in on the house, believed to be worth around GBP150,000. Windows on the crumbling house have been blown out and debris from the blast is strewn across the street. Cars parked outside have been covered in bricks and mortar following the blast, which also appeared to have ripped bricks and roof tiles off the neighbouring house.
The tenants of the house, a family that rent the property, are believed to have gone away while repair work was being carried out, the neighbour said. Speaking at the scene this morning, he said: “At around 7.30pm, I heard the explosion. “I only live a few doors away. I heard this loud bang.
I thought it might be just kids in the back alley, setting off fireworks “We went outside to have a look, and we saw all the neighbours. There were bricks everywhere. The house was totally blown up. “It looked like a small bomb had gone off.
It was chaotic, and there were two cars damage on the road. There was brick dust and glass everywhere. “I know everyone in the neighbourhood, and we do know it was a rented house – obviously it was good luck that the family wasn’t there. “But from what I saw on the day, there were two guys in the house doing work. I saw them bringing tiles into the property. “It looked like to me that they were plumbers working on the property.” Lancashire police said they were called to the address just before 8pm.
Fire crews had pulled a man from the rubble of the home before he was taken to hospital by ambulance. His injuries were not thought to be life-threatening and he was believed to be the only casualty, the force added. Nearby homes had been evacuated and police urged people to avoid the area while investigations into the cause of the explosion continue.
A spokesman said: “We were called shortly before 8pm this evening to a report of a house collapse at an address on London Road and emergency services including police, fire and ambulance were quickly on the scene. “One man was rescued from the property by firefighters and taken to hospital by ambulance. His injuries are not at this time thought to be life-threatening. “He is believed to be the only casualty. “A number of road closures remain in place and emergency services remain at the scene.” Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said they had handed the casualty over to ambulance services after rescuing him from the building on arrival. Their spokesperson said: “We were called yesterday evening at around 19:40 to a suspected gas explosion in a domestic property on London Road in Blackburn. “On arrival, firefighters from Blackburn gained entry to the property to locate any casualties, with support from Hyndburn and the Urban Search and Rescue Teams from Chorley and Bamber Bridge. “One casualty was swiftly rescued and handed over into the care of North West Ambulance Service and taken to hospital via land ambulance. “There were no other injuries reported.
Firefighters have made the scene safe, and we are working with other partner agencies to deal with this incident. “Road closures remain in place on London Road between Blackburn Street and Inkerman Street and we ask people to continue to avoid the area and make alternative routes where possible.” A spokesperson from utility supplier Cadent Gas said their staff were at the scene this morning. The cause of the incident remains under investigation, but they didn’t believe the incident was caused by a gas explosion at this stage. Paula Steer, Network Director for Cadent in the North West said: “Cadent engineers have attended an explosion in Blackburn and we continue to assist the emergency response to the incident. “At this stage, we do not believe that the explosion is as a result of the gas network, however, it is too early to determine the exact cause and an investigation is currently taking place.” Roads have been closed in the surrounding streets with police urging people to avoid the area.
An evacuation centre was set up at an education centre nearby.
References
- ^ Man pulled from rubble of house explosion was carrying out renovations (uk.news.yahoo.com)