An explosion has taken place in the city centre of Bath, United Kingdom in a new shopping centre which is still being built. The explosion is said to have been caused by a gas canister that caught fire and exploded, setting fire to the building. Firefighters responded and were able to extinguish it at around  18:00 BST, approximately one hour after the explosion took place.
Several shops including Marks and Spencer, Boots and Game were evacuated. Bath Spa railway station was also closed off. Avon and Somerset police spokeswoman Jenny Bigwood said "The area has been cordoned off at the request of the fire and rescue service as there are believed to be a number of gas cylinders on the site." The fire service spokesperson also said that "officers were called just after 5pm today to a report of a fire at the SouthGate building site."
According to eyewitness reports there was "black smoke, ...a few bangs and a series of fairly large explosions."
Bath Spa railway station has since reopened but several people cannot get their cars out of the area due to closed roads. A shelter has been set up at the Pavilion near the leisure centre in North Parade Road. The centre was due to open in 2009 but is due to be delayed. 
Despite the large size of the explosion, it is believed that no one has suffered from any injuries as a result of the incident.

Have an opinion on this story? Share it!
Share this: 






This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.
Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.
Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.
Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.
Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.
Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.
Explosion at new shopping centre in Bath, United Kingdom