Huge 'gas explosion' destroys three homes in Lancashire

Major incident declared after huge ‘gas explosion’ destroys three homes in Lancashire as neighbouring properties evacuated

  • Suspected gas explosion has destroyed up to three houses in Lancashire
  • Fire service said units were called to Mallowdale Avenue in Heysham last night
  • Police said a safety cordon has been put in place and residents evacuated

A major incident has been declared after a suspected gas explosion reportedly destroyed up to three terraced houses in Lancashire last night.

Lancashire Fire said on Twitter that 10 units were called to a row of homes on Mallowdale Avenue in Heysham at around 2.30am on Sunday and that firefighters were searching a collapsed property.  

‘A major incident has been declared after we (were) called to terraced houses on Mallowdale Avenue,’ the emergency service said.

‘It has been reported that there has been an explosion at a property and firefighters are searching the collapsed property.’

No information on any casualties was immediate available, but several residents of the area tweeted that up to three houses had collapsed, and that emergency services sirens had been heard near the scene for a prolonged time. 

Lancashire Fire said on Twitter that 10 units were called to a row of homes on Mallowdale Avenue around 2.30am on Sunday and that firefighters were searching a collapsed property

A major incident has been declared after a suspected gas explosion in Heysham

Lancashire Police said a safety cordon had been put in place and nearby residents had been evacuated in the town some 25 miles north-east of Blackpool.

In a statement, a spokesman said: ‘We are currently at the scene of a suspected gas explosion on Littledale Avenue, Heysham.

‘A safety cordon has been put in place and nearby residents have been evacuated. We are asking people to please avoid the entire area while we deal with this ongoing incident.’ 

Describing the suspected gas explosion, neighbour Dan Knowles tweeted: ‘There’s been a terrible explosion on Mallowdale Ave in #Heysham sounds disastrous, 3 houses collapsed, praying for everyone.

‘We woke about 2:30am and thought it was an earthquake at first. We’re about 4 streets up in Heysham and could feel it.’

A neighbour whose home was close to the blast said: ‘We are all fine just shaken and worried about the house as we have no door or windows and the roof’s damaged.’

Electricity North West tweeted that it had paused electricity supplies to the area

Another neighbour told the Mirror: ‘It’s blown my windows, front door and roof.’

Taxi driver Anthony Davis, 58, called the blast ‘like a minor earthquake’, telling the Mirror that his caravan shook a quarter of a mile away. 

‘From what we gather it’s taken two or three houses with it,’ he said. ‘We live a quarter of a mile away and it shook our caravan – we thought something had hit it.

‘We’ve got our little granddaughters staying overnight. We didn’t know what it was.’

The North West Ambulance Service tweeted that it had also sent units to the scene, with a priority to ‘ensure people receive the medical help they need as quickly as possible’.

The Service tweeted: ‘Following reports of an explosion on Mallowdale Avenue, #Heysham, we have resources at the scene and we are working with @LancashireFRS and @LancsPolice’.

Electricity North West tweeted that it had paused electricity supplies to the area for safety reasons while the blast was being investigated. 

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