A house has been completely destroyed in a gas explosion this morning.
Three people have been reported injured and one is missing after the semi-detached property, in Leicester, was ripped apart at around 7.30am.
Neighbours reported being woken up by an ‘almighty bang’ and one said an elderly man was found in the rubble.
Surrounding houses along Allington Drive in the Birstall area of the city have been evacuated as emergency services attend the scene.
Emergency services attend the scene of the explosion, which completely destroyed a house, in Birstall, Leicester this morning
The semi-detached property has collapsed following the blast – three people have been injured
Neighbours reported hearing an ‘almighty blast’ and one man said an elderly man was pulled out of the rubble
Newspaper deliveryman, Liam Owen, described how he was working his round on the road when the building exploded.
He said: ‘It felt like someone pushed me in the back. I thought, “What was that?”
‘There was a flash of light and bits were flying through the air. I’ve never experienced anything like it.
‘I didn’t know if there might be any more explosions, so I didn’t want to go too close. I called 999.
‘Right now I’m just not really thinking about it. If I’d been a bit earlier I could have been hurt.’
Leicestershire Police said in a statement: ‘Investigations in to the cause of the damage are in their very early stages.
‘Allington Drive is currently closed and is likely to remain so for a number of hours while enquiries are carried out.’
The condition of the injured is not yet known though one person has been taken to Queen’s Medical Hospital in Nottingham. Two other people walked out of the property injured.
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said search dogs were looking for one of the two houses’ occupants who is still unaccounted for, the BBC reports.
Residents in surrounding properties have been evacuated as emergency services attend the scene
One of the injured has been taken to Queen’s Medical Hospital in Nottingham. Pictured: Police and fire crews at the scene
A fourth person is said to be missing following the blast. Rescue teams are searching the area
One of the first on the scene, John Kettringham, 31, who lives near the exploded property, told the Leicester Mercury that he came across an elderly man amongst the debris.
‘He had bad head lacerations, and was unconscious, with a flight of stairs on top of him, but he was still breathing,’ he said.
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said the house had fallen down completely following the explosion and that the attached property had partially collapsed.
Six other properties are believed to have been affected.
Nearly 100 houses in the area have had their power turned off as a precaution, while emergency services search the scene.
A spokesman for Western Power Distributon told the Mecury: ‘We have had to disconnect the electricity mains for safety reasons, which means there are about 95 properties in the area which will be without power for the rest of the morning.’
Allington Drive, where the explosions took place, has been closed off as police investigate the cause of the explosion
The local borough council has set up temporary emergency accommodation for evacuated residents at Birstall Village Hall. Pictured: Police close off the road
Quentin Woodhouse, 61, who lives in Birstall, said: ‘My mum lives opposite. She’s 91. Her front door and windows all blew in.
‘She was very lucky not to be hurt. She just said it was a very loud bang, no flames as such.
‘And when she came outside it looked pretty much as it does now, with the roof blown off.’
Charnwood Borough Councillor Roy Rollings said that Birstall Village Hall had been set up for residents in need of emergency accommodation.
A spokesman for the local authority said: ‘We will be ensuring residents’ welfare is looked after and have officers on the scene, including from our building control team.’