House destroyed and man left seriously injured after explosion in Willington

Footage from Neandercol Photography captures the force of the explosion which destroyed a home in the early hours

A man in his 40s is in a critical condition after a house explosion in County Durham which killed a German Shepherd dog.

Emergency services received reports of the blast on Coronation Terrace, in Willington, near Bishop Auckland, at about 1:30am on Monday 24 June.

Firefighters assisted in the rescue of a man who suffered serious injuries and was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary, in Newcastle, where he remains in a critical condition.

Durham Police confirmed on Monday afternoon that a German Shepherd dog had died in the blast.

Nearby residents were evacuated as a precaution following the explosion. Most have since been allowed to return to their homes.

A cordon remains in place around the scene while police and fire investigators work to establish the cause.

Firefighters were on the scene within minutes of the blast on Coronation Terrace, in Willington. Credit: County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service

A spokesperson for Durham Police said: "Officers responded to reports of a house explosion at around 1.30am today (June 24) in Coronation Terrace, Willington.

"A man sustained serious injuries during the incident and has been taken to hospital by paramedics for treatment.

"A cordon has been put in place around the property while emergency services work at the scene.

"Nearby residents have been evacuated as a precaution and people are advised to avoid the area."

They added: "We appreciate that this is a terrible incident, and ask that people do not speculate online about the circumstances until a thorough investigation has been carried out."

The explosion appears to have caused extensive damage to the property. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

Chris Williams, group manager at County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service said: “Our crews remain at the scene of an explosion in Willington, Crook.

“At 1.28am we received a call reporting an explosion at a residential property on Coronation Terrace in Willington.

“The first crew were at the scene within minutes, with crews deployed from Durham, Bishop Auckland and Crook, along with the Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP) from Durham.

“Firefighters assisted in the rescue of one man, who was attended to at the scene by police officers and North East Ambulance Service (NEAS), before being taken to hospital. “Nobody else has been reported to be injured.

“Some residents in the immediate vicinity were evacuated as a precaution."

Debris from the blast on Coronation Terrace where gas workers are assessing the site. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

Mr Williams added the service would be investigating the blast.

“Our crews will remain in the area today alongside colleagues from Durham Constabulary, Durham County Council and Northern Gas Networks to assess the site and ensure it is structurally safe," he continued.

“We know this will be concerning for local residents and if you live in the area please listen to the advice and instruction of the emergency services.

“An investigation will take place into the incident in due course.”A statement from the North East Ambulance Service said: "We were called to a house explosion in Coronation Terrace, Willington, shortly after 1.30am this morning (24 June)."We dispatched one ambulance crew, a duty officer and four crews from our Hazardous Area Response Team. We also requested support from Great North Air Ambulance Service."One patient has been taken to the RVI for further treatment."

Anyone that has any information that could assist the investigation should call Durham Constabulary on 101, quoting incident number 20 of 24 June.

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