A man has been seriously injured after a gas cylinder exploded in a basement today, destroying the front of a home.
Firefighters rushed to the scene just after midday following the blast in Commercial Road, Bulwell, Nottingham.
Shocking images show a gaping hole in the building and debris scattered across the street.
A man has been airlifted to hospital while neighbouring properties were evacuated.
Nottingham Fire and Rescue's Incident Commander Richard Ellis said they were called to the scene just after noon to reports of a building fire.
Attending crews quickly established it was an explosion that had happened and sent out fire engines from Stockhill and Arnold, before sending reinforcement.
"There was very little fire, if any," he said. "Though we did have a couple of hose reels in use, just to damp down any small fires which existed.
"We believe at the moment that the cause of the explosion is a gas cylinder in the basement."
One person who was in the basement at the time of the explosion had been quite seriously injured, he said, and was being treated at the Queen's Medical Centre.
"Another person did start to suffer from chest pains although that was unrelated to the explosion, so we have got a second person who is being treated at the Queen's Medical Centre."
When asked about the nine neighbouring homes that were initially evacuated, Incident Commander Ellis said: "The majority of them are in the process of being allowed back into their properties.
"There are two properties that won't be allowed back into until structural engineers confirm that it's safe for them to go into their homes."
Darren Stocks, 40, who moved to his property on Commercial Road in May this year, told Nottinghamshire Live how he ran into the property where the explosion happened, to check if anyone else was there.
“I was in the back garden. We heard a big explosion, the windows rattled," he said.
"My partner thought it was a car crash but I said it was an explosion because we heard all the glass. I came running out and saw everything on the road.
"I actually went into the property, I asked him if there was anyone else in the home, he said there wasn’t but I ran in just to check.
"It actually took them (emergency services) a while to get here. The fire brigade came first, then the police and then the ambulance came.
“Me and my partner got cups of coffee out, blankets and chairs, being neighbourly.”
A Commercial Road resident, who did not want to be named, said she felt the house shake. She said: “All I know is that it’s a gas explosion. It’s bizarre - we felt the house shaking and then came outside to see what happened. We saw the back door shaking.”
Four fire engines from Stockhill, Arnold and Eastwood, plus the Specialist Rescue Unit from Highfields, attended the scene. Nottinghamshire Police, EMAS, and the gas and electric board were also present, with the investigation into the cause of the fire underway.
Inspector Paul Ferguson, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Emergency services were called to a house in Commercial Road, Bulwell, following reports of a potential gas explosion.
“A man who was seriously injured in the incident, which happened around 12.05pm, has since been taken to hospital via ambulance.
“The affected building sustained considerable damage in the explosion and neighbouring properties have been evacuated.
“Road closures are currently in place in Bulwell on Commercial Street, Mersey Street, Belgrave Road and Latham Street.
“A cordon remains in place at the scene and the police are working with partners at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service to establish what happened."
