A woman who died in a gas explosion that destroyed a house in Birmingham and damaged three others is understood to be 79-year-old Doreen Rees-Bibb.
Friends and family mourning Rees-Bibb told the Sun, who have named the victim, that she was “the life and soul of the party” and had a “heart of gold”.
A family member, who didn’t want to be named, told the Sun: “She was full of warmth and love, and she had a heart of pure gold. We are all distraught.
“She was almost 80 but she was still full of life.
“We don’t know what’s happened, if there was a gas leak or some kind of fault. We are just waiting for answers.”
Her partner David Murphy was pulled from the wreckage in a life-threatening condition by hero neighbours, the Sun reports.
The blast erupted at the terraced home on Dulwich Road, Kingstanding, Birmingham, at about 8.30pm on Sunday.
Residents told the PA news agency they clambered through rubble shortly after the blast to pull an injured man alive.
One neighbour, who declined to give his name, said: “There was a guy in the back. We could hear the guy screaming, but he was trapped up against the fridge in the kitchen.
“The dust from the loft insulation was burning around us.
“We managed to get to him and pull him out – I still have his blood on my jeans. He ended up coming out on a mattress, but he was saying there was a woman in the house.”
The rescuer said: “His clothes had been blown off. You couldn’t even see him, he was covered in blood.”
The man was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The explosion completely destroyed one property and significantly damaged three adjoining properties, West Midlands Fire Service said.
Martin Ward-White, an area commander at West Midlands Fire Service, said it “was clear that a gas explosion had taken place”.
Mr Ward-White said investigators will look into what exactly caused the gas explosion. He also praised those who went into the burning ruins to save the man.
More than 20 people were evacuated nearby and four were treated at the scene for minor wounds.
Four other people have been treated at the scene for minor injuries.
Birmingham City Council are standing by to assist residents who may need rehousing, West Midlands Fire Service said.
