A man heard a "massive rumble" and thought it was a "meteor" as a fire broke out in a nearby flat.
There was a massive emergency response with police, ambulance and fire crews all called to the scene close to Picton Road. Teams from Merseyside Fire and Rescue arrived at the scene just before midnight and remained throughout this morning.
A police cordon was put in place with Wellington Grove closed and Picton Road partially closed. One person was taken to hospital but their condition is not known at this time.
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Speaking to a reporter at the scene, one man said: "It happened just before 11.45 and we heard this explosion. It was like this massive rumble and we thought it was the meteor that was supposed to be going over tonight.
“The emergency services came really quickly and we were told to get out of the home. They said we might be able to come back in tonight but we just don’t know.”
Images from the scene show first floor windows completely shattered and smoke damage to the outside walls. Everyone in the building at the time of the fire was accounted for.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Merseyside Fire and Rescue, said: "On arrival crews were met with a first floor flat well alight. Four firefighters wearing breathing apparatus (BA) entered the property with two hose reel jets to fight the blaze while additional fire service personnel gathered information regarding other occupants and searched the property.
North West Ambulance Service are on scene and one casualty has been assessed and conveyed to hospital for further treatment.
Crews continued to dampen down inside the property and the fire has now been extinguished. Firefighters in BA are hotspotting. All persons have been accounted for and utilities to the flat affected have now been isolated."
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