Wythenshawe explosion: First picture of man, 91, killed in suspected gas blast

This is the first picture of Frank Burton, the 91-year-old man who died after a suspected gas explosion blew apart his house in Manchester.

He was found dead following the blast in Wythenshawe, in the south of the city, on Thursday night.

Police said there were reports of a gas explosion, though specific details have not yet been confirmed.

Neighbours said the explosion "shook their houses like an earthquake". Images showed a huge hole blown in the front of the house.

Frank's family paid tribute to him at the scene on Friday as investigations continued, describing him as "a character and a good guy".

His brother Philip said he feared his sibling may have bought an appliance to "help with the cold snap in anticipation of rising energy bills" - and that it may have sparked the blast.

He said: "The explosion is typical of gas. Whether that's mains gas, or if he had something in to help with the cold snap and anticipating rise in energy, he may have bought something."

An appliance may have been left on and could have sparked the explosion, the Manchester Evening News reported, though this has not been confirmed by officials. Cadent workers, fire officers and police remained at the house on Friday afternoon.

Mark Threader, borough commander for Manchester at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, said at the scene that authorities are in the process of making the property safe and "working closely together to try and find out what caused the incident".

Matt Muncaster, 27, was on board a tram when he heard an "almighty bang".

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He said: "As I got off and looked at the house, there was instantly loads of smoke. All the windows were blown out and the glass was all over the road.

"I ran over and a neighbour was shouting the name of the man who lives there, to try and get an idea of if he was conscious and at home. Me and another gentleman tried to kick the door down but couldn't get enough force to kick it in."

He said emergency services were at the scene within minutes and he saw firefighters go into the house to try to rescue anyone inside.

Richard Walker, deacon of the Brownley Green Baptist church, had opened the church to offer cups of tea, biscuits and shelter for people living nearby.

"It’s what we do. It’s about supporting the community. We heard the explosion and saw all the smoke and immediately went back inside. I legged it to Asda to get milk and snacks for everyone."

A major incident had been declared for a short time on Thursday night before it was stood down by emergency services. A large cordon was put in place on Brownley Road as some residents were evacuated from their homes.

On Friday afternoon, a small cordon remained in place on the pavement in front of the badly damaged house, with several emergency service vehicles at the scene.