Yahoo News Home Flattened In Blast: At Least One Dead
A man has been killed after a house was demolished in a gas explosion in Haxby, North Yorkshire.
Police said a 63-year-old man had died and a relief centre for neighbours had been set up at Haxby Memorial Hall.
Details of any other injuries have not been released. A photograph, taken by Rob Varley, shows the devastation at the scene.
One villager tweeted: “Never woken up to such a noise! A gas explosion caused a house to literally explode in our village!
“Hope everyone is okay.”
Other residents reported their houses were shaken by the blast, which some thought was an earthquake.
Sophie Pea tweeted: “I swear something just exploded in Haxby. My whole house just shook.”
Another, named as Ellie Hig, posted: “Did everyone else in Haxby hear that?????? Ok now I can hear sirens. Praying no one was in that house.”
Amy Hewitt wrote: “Woah has there been an explosion in Haxby the house just shook?”
Fire, police and ambulance services are all at the scene and the area has been cordoned off.
The electricity board has switched power off within a 200m radius of the scene of the explosion.
Images posted on Twitter showed debris scattered around the residential street.
Windows in the neighbouring houses on the leafy residential cul-de-sac were blown out.
Police said properties either side of the destroyed home had been “quite badly damaged”.
A neighbour, who did not wish to be named, was around 150 yards away at the time of the explosion.
He described the loud bang which he said had “flattened” the property and damaged others nearby.
“The house has been completely flattened. It sounded as if a bus or something had crashed into a house, or like an aeroplane crash,” he told the Press Association.
“All the properties adjacent to the one that’s blown up have got damaged windows and garages.”
The man said others had told him they did not think anyone was in the property at the time.
He said: “Neighbours didn’t think there was anyone there.”
A police statement read: “We are at the scene of a major incident in Haxby.
"There is at least one casualty, however, we are unable to provide any further information regarding casualties at this stage.
"Extensive damage has been caused to the property and surrounding homes and residents have been evacuated.
"A cordon remains in place and there will be disruption to the surrounding area as emergency services work to protect the wider community.”
