Elderly man 'found buried in rubble with stairs on top of him' as house completely destroyed in terrifying gas explosion in snowy village
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An elderly man has been found buried in rubble after a house was 'completely destroyed' in a gas explosion, a horrified witness says.
The pensioner was reportedly found unconscious after the blast rocked the quiet, snowy village of Birstall, Leicestershire, this morning.
He was discovered with severe cuts to his head and a "flight of stairs on top of him" - but was still breathing, witness John Ketteringham claims.
Next door's bedroom was also ripped apart in the explosion, while a woman living opposite saw her own bedroom windows "blow in".
At least two people were injured in the blast, which occurred in Allington Drive at about 7.30am and was heard throughout the area.
Mr Ketteringham, 31, who lives nearby and was one of the first on the scene, described how the pensioner was discovered in the rubble.
He told the Leicester Mercury: “We found one old chap buried in the rubble. He had bad head lacerations, and was unconscious, with a flight of stairs on top of him, but he was still breathing.
“It looks like it was a gas explosion. I was woken up by the bang and pulled my clothes on and ran to do what I could to help."
He added: “There was a young boy who had just delivered the paper to the house that exploded. It was really lucky he wasn’t hurt.
“The explosion threw bits of wood into the windows of the houses opposite, and all the cars have smashed windows.”
(Image: Tom Mack/Leicester Mercury)
Margaret Burt, who lives opposite the house that was destroyed, recalled how she was in bed when she heard a "terrific bang".
She told the Mercury: "My bedroom windows blew in.
"It was terrifying. The whole house was gone.
“It’s just a pile of rubble and next door lost a bedroom.”
Police, paramedics and firefighters were sent to the scene after reports of the "bang" - which has since been confirmed as a gas explosion.
Officers say the two injured victims are being treated by paramedics. It is not clear whether the elderly man is among the pair, or a third victim.
Sarah Orton, 47, who lives a few doors down from the house, claimed there were two explosions before the roof "lit up red and orange".
She recalled: “I was the only one in the street when it happened.
“I’d just left for work, and was a few doors away.
“There were two explosions. The first sounded like a firework, but it was a massive blast and I felt it push the back of my head.
“I turned around and saw the second explosion. The roof just lit up red and orange and things flew everywhere.
“I’m just in shock. I can’t believe what I’ve seen. There’s stuff all over the road. Our doors were blown in, and our windows too.”
The fire service said it had received “multiple calls” about the incident.
Crews at the scene include three from Leicester stations, one from Birstall, a technical rescue team from Leicester and the command support vehicle from Shepshed station.
(Image: Leicester Mercury)
In a statement, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the semi-detached property had been involved in a gas explosion.
It said the main house had collapsed, while the neighbouring property had partially collapsed. Six other properties have been partially affected.
The service said there was no fire reported and there is no smell of gas at this time. Full evacuation of surrounding homes has been carried out.
Leicestershire Police also issued a statement on the incident.
It said: “Officers are at an address in Allington Drive, Birstall, at 7.33am this morning following reports of a loud bang and house being damaged.
“Police, along with the fire and ambulance service, are at the scene. Investigations in to the cause of the damage are in their very early stages.
“Allington Drive is currently closed and is likely to remain so for a number of hours while inquiries are carried out.
“Two people are injured and are being attended to by paramedics. The nature of their injuries is not known at this time.
“A number of houses in the street have been evacuated as a precaution.”
One young woman, Sarah Carr, said she and her pals heard a loud bang, but initially believed it was snow falling off a building.
The bang was also apparently heard by motorists and pedestrians at least an eight-minute drive away from the scene of the blast.
Some speculated whether the area may have been hit by an earthquake.
However, it was later confirmed it was a gas explosion.
A motorist driving along Abbey Lane described hearing a "sort of dull thud in the distance" that was also noticed by pedestrians.
They said: “I was just passing the road where you turn off to get to the space centre when I heard a bang, a sort of dull thud in the distance.
"My son who was in the passenger seat asked what it was.
"A woman and a young girl crossing at traffic lights in front of us also turned round when they heard it. It was about 7.30am.”
Meanwhile, David Voce, 50, of Worcester Avenue, revealed how he thought his own house was falling down after hearing a bang.
He said: “I jumped out of bed when I heard the bang.
"It was incredibly loud. I thought my house was falling down. There was no fire, just an explosion. There have been loads of ambulances."
And Muriel Robertson, 75, who lives in Allington Drive, recalled: “We just heard an almighty bang. There’s quite a few houses damaged.
"I was asleep and I was woken up by the noise.”
Roy Rollings, Charnwood Borough Council councillor for Birstall Wanlip, said: "We are aware of a large explosion at a property in Birstall.
"Our first thoughts are with all those involved. @CharnwoodBC emergency plans are being put into place to help all involved."
Charnwood Borough Council said: "We're aware of the incident in Birstall and supporting the emergency services.
"We will be ensuring residents' welfare is looked after and have officers on the scene, including from our building control team."