A man who was pulled from an exploded flat is 'lucky to be alive' according to a neighbours who ran in to save him.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, the North West Ambulance Service, and Lancashire Police rushed to Tanfields in Skelmersdale at around 6pm 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.
READ MORE: Explosion damage to Skelmersdale flats as walls blown apart and sofa falls out of home
Jake Alan Jones, a handyman from Skelmersdale, was in his fiancée's house when he heard a huge explosion from behind him. The 22-year-old went outside to see what had happened and saw the wreckage of a number of flats, including his friends.
Jake told The ECHO : "I ran out my fiancée's and into the back garden of the flats to make sure the people were okay. I then ran around to the front and into the house and found a man downstairs and he has a cut and blood on his head.
"I helped him out and then carried on running around to make sure everybody was okay."
A few minutes later the area was swarmed with emergency service vehicles including fire engines from Skelmersdale, Ormskirk and Bamber Bridge. Five people were in the flats when the explosion occurred and three of those were taken to hospital by the North West Ambulance Service.
A spokesperson from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed everyone was accounted for and nobody was seriously injured. Jake said the man he found downstairs was 'lucky to be alive'.
He added: "The house completely exploded, the back and front completely came off. He's lucky to be alive, they all are."
Emergency Services worked with Lancashire Council to evacuate 15 people from the area, who were put up in hotels. It is expected the fire service will remain in Tanfields for the rest of the day.
An investigation into the cause of the explosion was launched by Lancashire Fire Service and Lancashire Police.
