People came together to help those affected by an explosion at a block of flats.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, the North West Ambulance Service, and Lancashire Police rushed to Tanfields in Skelmersdale at around 6pm on Tuesday following an explosion at a property. Once at the scene emergency services found a block of flats completely blown apart.
Pictures sent to the ECHO show the back of the flats, and you can see a fridge freezer hanging from the wreckage along with a two seater couch. Following the explosion, people rushed to offer food, spare bedrooms and other items to those impacted by the incident.
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Posting on a local Facebook page, one company called Family cooking by G offered homecooked meals. They said: "If anyone on here knows people who were involved in the incident today on Tanfields. Please let them know if they need any food cooking to get in touch."
Events organiser company, Macy Shine Skelmersdale, also offered help. They said if people needed "help or support" with anything to reach out and have "a stock of essential items and have funds to help those in need."
One person also had a spare room which they offered to anyone impacted. A total of 15 people were evacuated from their homes overnight following the explosion.
One eyewitness who lives behind the flats said they heard a ‘loud bang’ that ‘shook the windows’ at around 6pm on Tuesday. They said: “I was just sat in my house when I heard this loud bang, it shook the windows. I didn’t think anything of it and then I started hearing sirens and a helicopter.
"I looked out my window and saw loads of blue lights flashing. I went out the back of my house and saw the back wall of the flats had exploded."
“Then police started taping off the road.” Four fire engines from Skelmersdale, Ormskirk and Bamber Bridge were called to deal with the explosion.
In a statement issued during the early hours, a spokesman for the service said: "Crews will remain on scene overnight. Firefighters evacuated approx 15 people in surrounding properties for safety precautions.
"There were no serious injuries at this incident. A multi-agency investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the explosion."
