HORROR BLAST
Entire house destroyed when ‘gas explosion’ sparked horror early morning blaze leaving three injured
Dramatic footage shows flames tearing through the house and the scorched roof caving in
A HORROR explosion has destroyed a house and seen three people rushed to hospital.
The inferno broke out at a property on Lancaster Road, in Yate, Bristol, at around 7am.
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Three people were taken to hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.
The blaze was caused by a suspected gas explosion, Avon Fire and Rescue Service said.
I was woken by a boom, a very loud noise. My house shook. I live about 100 yards from the house.
Lorraine Carter
Emergency services are still at the scene as smoke continues to billow from the wreck.
Dramatic footage shows flames tearing through the house and the scorched roof caving in.
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One horrified resident said: "There was this huge bang and the house shook. You can see out of our top window and we have a viewpoint.
''We could see the smoke and then the flames coming up and you could see the flames reflected in the windows of the houses across the road.
''We couldn't smell it because I kept the windows shut but there was just this enormous bang."
One woman said her mum, 82, had been evacuated but she was in a stable condition at hospital with relatives.
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Nearby locals were evacuated to the Farmhouse Pub, where they were served coffee, tea and toast.
Some were still in their pyjamas and dressing gowns as they sat shocked in the garden.
One man, who had just returned home from work, said: "My mum was int he garden and saw it happen.
''She went round to help them and by the time she got back to our house after helping them out, police were there evacuating everyone.
"She doesn't know them. She saw water flying into the sky, flames going up, so she ran round the corner just to see what had happened.
"The door was locked and she tried passing the key through the letterbox so that they could open the door.
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''I think the woman inside was actually scared, as you would be, and was trying to get the key in the door but was struggling to.
"I think the explosion happened then the flames came up five minutes after."
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: "Officers are supporting Avon Fire and Rescue Service at the scene of a suspected gas explosion in Lancaster Road, in Yate, at 6.50am this morning (Tuesday 29 April).
"Three people have been taken to hospital with injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening or life changing.
"A fourth person has sustained minor injuries and was seen to by the ambulance service
"A cordon has been put in place and a number of properties have been evacuated. A refuge centre has been set up at a nearby public house.
"Members of the public are being advised to avoid the area and keep the roads clear while emergency services are at the scene."
A spokesperson for Avon Fire and Rescue Service said: "We currently have multiple crews on scene at a property on Lancaster Road, Yate to reports of an explosion.
"Crews are currently working at the scene, and we would advise locals to avoid the area.
"More information to follow."
A spokesperson for Wales and West Utilities has said the cause of the explosion is currently unknown.
Wales & West Utilities Emergency Service Manager for Bristol, Austen Shopland said: "We were called to reports of an explosion at a property in the Lancaster Road area of Yate in Bristol this morning (29 April) and immediately sent a team of engineers.
"On arrival, we found that there had been severe structural damage to the property and the emergency services were in control of the scene.
"We are now working with them to make the area safe - as we do on all incidents of this nature.
"We do not yet know the cause of the explosion, and our engineers will continue to support the emergency services as they carry out their work."
Claire Young MP for Thornbury and Yate said on Facebook: "My thoughts are with those who are affected by the suspected gas explosion in Lancaster Road, Yate.
"Thank you to all the emergency services who have responded so quickly."
'MY HOUSE SHOOK'
Lorraine Carter, 57, was one of many residents sheltering in the pub garden with friends after having been evacuated.
She said: "I was woken by a boom, a very loud noise. My house shook. I live about 100 yards from the house.
''It was like nothing I have heard before. It woke me up so initially you're not quite sure what it was but I hadn't experienced it before.
"I couldn't see anything initially either side of the house and then the first thing we saw was a thin plume of black smoke.
''We saw the neighbours running towards it and about 15 or 20 minutes later the fire engines and emergency services arrived.
"I was still in the house. We were evacuated at about 7.10am.
"I saw the police and I could hear neighbours being evacuated so I opened my window and they said we had to evacuate and come to the local pub.
"You hear about these things on the news but you don't expect it to happen on your street."
Another neighbour added: "The bang was terrific."
Geoff Shortman, a retired police officer, recalled: "I was fast asleep and boom.
''The windows shook, I looked out the window, saw nothing, went downstairs, a cup of coffee, looked out and thought 'why are all the neighbours out int he street?'
"At which point I saw the fire at the address. It had blown the roof off, basically.
"You could see 20, 40 ft flames coming out of the roof.
"I know the people affected. There was an initial shock amongst all of them and then they're all saying more or less the same thing 'what the hell do we do now?'
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"As far as we can ascertain we believe three houses have been damaged, possibly four.
"We all wandered out into the street and the police were trying to form a cordon with the fire brigade."
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