At least three homes to be demolished after Bury 'gas explosion' leaves woman seriously injured
Drone footage shows the extent of the damage to the homes following the blast
At least three homes will be demolished after a suspected gas explosion destroyed the front of a house, leaving a woman seriously injured in hospital.
Emergency services remain on Nelson Street, in the Fishpool area of Bury as investigations continue into the explosion, which happened around 11am on Wednesday 28 February.
A woman in her 70s was taken to hospital with serious injuries, while other residents and pupils at a nearby school were evacuated.
The front of the house involved has been obliterated, with its windows blown out and most of the roof collapsed.
Severe damage was caused to adjoining homes, which are also scheduled to be demolished.
If further damage is revealed after the demolition, a fourth house may have to come down, another home owner has said.
One man said he believed his family were "going to die", as residents described locals trying to rescue the woman from the burning house amid the disastrous scenes.Mushtaq Anwar, who was at home with his wife, his daughter, 21, and son, 17, described the explosion as being "like an earthquake".
Mr Anwar said: "All of the house was shaking and moving up and down. We all ran down towards the front door, but it had collapsed and was blocked by bricks. There was no way out."I thought we were going to die. We managed to run out of the back door. As we came out, we saw the wreckage. Within a minute, there was a huge fire coming from next door."
Eleven homes were evacuated on Wednesday, however by the evening, a number had been told they could return once gas safety checks had been carried out.
Local independent councillor Tamoor Tariq lives just one street over from the destroyed house.
He described the day of the blast as "one of the most difficult days for my local neighbourhood".
He added: "The atmosphere’s been very somber, people have been really shocked by the events.
"In this close knit community, events like this are one’s you hear about elsewhere, not on your doorstep."
The aftermath of the explosion was captured on a doorbell camera. (Pictures: Councillor Tamoor Tariq)
A Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) spokesperson said: “Firefighters have worked through the night to damp down any remaining hotspots and ensure the safety of the surrounding area."Two fire engines from Bolton North and Broughton fire stations are currently in attendance at the scene alongside colleagues from partner agencies."We would like to thank the local community for their understanding and support while this work continues and investigations begin into the cause of the explosion."Phil Hendrick, Head of Customer Operations (North West) at gas firm Cadent, said: "The thoughts of us all are with the woman who was injured, her family and this local Bury community.“The multi-agency response to this incident focused yesterday on making sure everyone was kept safe."We carried out thorough checks on all neighbouring properties and confirmed the gas pipes feeding them are sound. This enabled these properties to be safely reoccupied.“We have isolated the gas supply to the property where this incident happened, and the adjoining properties. This ensures the safety of the teams who are working in and around them, particularly in light of the structural damage to these properties."
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