Rescue workers find woman’s body as man fights for his life after huge gas explosion destroys house and badly damages three more on Birmingham street
- West Midlands Police said they were called to Dulwich Road just after 8.30pm
- One house is destroyed in Kingstanding, Birmingham, with others damaged
- West Midlands Ambulance Service said people rescued man from the house
- Four other men suffered minor injuries and were assessed by ambulance crews
The body of a woman has been found after a huge explosion destroyed a house in Birmingham.
West Midlands Police said they were called just after 8.30pm on Sunday to the incident on Dulwich Road in Kingstanding.
One house has been destroyed and several others have been significantly damaged as well as nearby cars, the force said.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said people at the scene rescued a man from the destroyed house but he had ‘very significant injuries’ and was taken to hospital.
Fire chiefs then confirmed this morning that a woman was pronounced dead at the scene of the blaze.
Residents described last night how they clambered past flaming debris, through dust and rubble, shortly after the blast, and pulled an injured man alive from the ruins of the house.
The area was evacuated and four other men were treated at the scene for minor injuries.
As of 4am Monday, the fire service said good progress was being made at the scene and a drone was being used to identify any hot spots.
WMFS said it was working with West Midlands Police, West Midlands Ambulance Service, Cadent Gas and the National Grid to manage the incident.
The scene in Dulwich Road, Kingstanding, Birmingham, where a woman has died after an explosion destroyed a house on Sunday
Emergency services at the scene in Dulwich Road, Kingstanding, where an explosion on Sunday destroyed a house
The scene in Dulwich Road, Kingstanding, Birmingham, where a woman has died after an explosion destroyed a house on Sunday
Emergency services were called at 8.38pm this evening to the scene of a house on Dulwich Road, Kingstanding, Birmingham which exploded
West Midlands Police force said in a statement: ‘Evacuations are taking place. Those evacuated will be told where to meet. People in the area must immediately follow the instructions of first responders’
Another angle of the explosion in Kingstanding shows the home completely destroyed as well as huge damage caused to the neighbouring houses
The scene in Dulwich Road, Kingstanding, where an explosion on Sunday destroyed a house and caused damage to other properties and vehicles nearby
The scene in Dulwich Road, Kingstanding, Birmingham, where a woman has died after an explosion destroyed a house on Sunday
Emergency services said evacuations were taking place and people have been urged to avoid the area, with Dulwich Road and surrounding roads closed. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) said West Midlands Police, WMAS, Cadent Gas and the National Grid were all working to manage the incident.
Six fire crews, three ambulances, five paramedic officers and a National Inter-Agency Liaison officer were among the resources sent to the scene.
The force said in a statement: ‘Evacuations are taking place. Those evacuated will be told where to meet. People in the area must immediately follow the instructions of first responders.
‘Dulwich Road and surround roads are closed and will be for a very long time. Please help us by avoiding the area. The cause of the explosion is not yet known.
‘Please think of those involved and their loved ones and do not post images online.
‘We will keep you updated regularly as soon as we have hard facts.’
An aerial shot of the exploded house shows it has been completely destroyed, with emergency services taking care of the incident
West Midlands Ambulance Service said people at the scene rescued a man from the destroyed house but he had ‘very significant injuries’ and was taken to hospital
Large crowds have gathered around the cordon after news of the blast on Dulwich Road, Kingstanding, Birmingham, spread
‘Dulwich Road and surround roads are closed and will be for a very long time. Please help us by avoiding the area. The cause of the explosion is not yet known,’ West Midlands Police said
Locals reported that nearby residents ran into the wrecked houses in an attempt to evacuate those inside
Locals reported that nearby residents ran into the wrecked houses in an attempt to evacuate those inside.
One man, who declined to give his name, told the PA news agency: ‘Everyone was watching, the house was on fire, nobody was going in, so we could see a way in – so we went in the house, me and about a dozen others.
‘There was a guy in the back (of the house), 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.
‘We got him out, he ended up coming out on a mattress. But he was saying there was a woman in the house.’
‘His clothes had been blown off, you couldn’t even see him, he was covered in blood,’ added the rescuer.
He added: ‘We just went straight through the (front) door, and I thought I went through the house’s door – but it was actually the next door house’s door, because the house door had been destroyed.
‘We come out to the back, and then we could hear the man geezer screaming, and we dug him out.
‘He was in the kitchen, lying flat on the floor, with his back against a fridge or washing machine.
‘He was going ‘don’t pull me – my legs’ and I said ‘mate, we’re going to have to take you out now’.’
The group of rescuers broke damaged water pipes, amid the rubble, to try to douse their own clothes, to protect from the flames.
Standing at the police cordon, watching the emergency services working under powerful spotlights amid the devastation, the resident added: ‘There’s nothing left of that house at all.
‘We went through the house – and that house is gone.’
West Midlands Ambulance Service also said they sent three ambulances, five paramedic officers, MERIT trauma doctor, critical care paramedic, West Midlands care team, Hazardous Area Response Team and a national interagency liaison officer to the scene.
The West Midlands Fire Service have sent six fire crews to the incident and have warned people to ‘avoid the area at this time’.
West Midlands Ambulance Service also said they sent three ambulances, five paramedic officers, MERIT trauma doctor, critical care paramedic, West Midlands care team, Hazardous Area Response Team and a national interagency liaison officer to the scene
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