Bedford house explosion which killed man caught on doorbell security camera

  • Doorbell footage shows the moment a house exploded and caught fire in Bedford

The moment a house exploded after a suspected build up of natural gas has been caught on doorbell security footage.

A man was killed and a woman remains in hospital following the blast in Cleat Hill, Bedford, on Saturday. Homes have been evacuated and road closures are in place while the emergency services make the area safe.

Neighbour Ajay Cheema caught the early-morning explosion on his house's doorbell cam.

"There was a huge shockwave from the neighbour's house, through the trees and hitting our windows," he said.

"And this shockwave shook the house... the house rumbled and the lights cut off for two or three seconds."

The explosion caused a fire at the home in Cleat Hill, Bedford. Credit: Ajay Cheema

Once he realised what had happened, Mr Cheema and his mother called 999 to alert emergency services.

The footage shows other neighbours running into the street to find out what had happened.

After the explosion, fire tore through the property, as shown in images taken by Mr Cheema.

Drone images on Monday revealed the burnt-out shell of the building, surrounded by piles of blackened rubble.

A cordon remains in place around the street.

Ajay Cheema heard the explosion and realised his doorbell camera had recorded the blast. Credit: ITV News Anglia

In statement, police said: “The gas levels identified are thought to be naturally occurring gasses from an underground source and not coming from the gas pipe network in the area.

“Safety is our main priority, and so we are still advising for people to avoid the Cleat Hill area whilst work at the scene continues."

In July, workers installing a ground source heat pump in Cleat Hill discovered a pocket of natural gas around 100 metres underground.

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