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| Man killed in house explosion near York | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A 63-year-old man has died after a suspected gas explosion destroyed a house near York, police said. | |
| North Yorkshire police said emergency services were at the scene in the village of Haxby. The area has been cordoned off and neighbouring houses evacuated. | North Yorkshire police said emergency services were at the scene in the village of Haxby. The area has been cordoned off and neighbouring houses evacuated. |
| Police said there was at least one casualty, but they were unable to provide any further information. | Police said there was at least one casualty, but they were unable to provide any further information. |
| Three fire crews attended the scene with a hazardous area response team, while firefighters carried out a search of what was left of the property. | Three fire crews attended the scene with a hazardous area response team, while firefighters carried out a search of what was left of the property. |
| Emergency services were alerted to the incident at 7.30am on Friday. A police spokesperson said they were treating the explosion as a major incident but there was no wider risk to the public. | Emergency services were alerted to the incident at 7.30am on Friday. A police spokesperson said they were treating the explosion as a major incident but there was no wider risk to the public. |
| A relief centre has been set up for those displaced by the incident at the nearby Haxby Memorial Hall. | A relief centre has been set up for those displaced by the incident at the nearby Haxby Memorial Hall. |
| A police spokesperson said: “Emergency services are currently at the scene of what is believed to be a gas explosion at a property in Springwood in Haxby near York. Extensive damage has been caused to the property and surrounding homes, and residents have been evacuated. A cordon remains in place and there will be disruption to the surrounding area as emergency services work to protect the wider community.” | A police spokesperson said: “Emergency services are currently at the scene of what is believed to be a gas explosion at a property in Springwood in Haxby near York. Extensive damage has been caused to the property and surrounding homes, and residents have been evacuated. A cordon remains in place and there will be disruption to the surrounding area as emergency services work to protect the wider community.” |
| The explosion sounded like a crash, one local resident said. The man, who did not wish to be named, was about 150 yards away at the time and described the loud bang that he said had “flattened” the property and damaged others nearby. | The explosion sounded like a crash, one local resident said. The man, who did not wish to be named, was about 150 yards away at the time and described the loud bang that he said had “flattened” the property and damaged others nearby. |
| “The house has been completely flattened. It sounded as if a bus or something had crashed into a house, or like an aeroplane crash,” he told the Press Association. “All the properties adjacent to the one that’s blown up have got damaged windows and garages.” | “The house has been completely flattened. It sounded as if a bus or something had crashed into a house, or like an aeroplane crash,” he told the Press Association. “All the properties adjacent to the one that’s blown up have got damaged windows and garages.” |
| Windows at St Margaret Clitherow church in Holly Tree Lane and the presbytery are also understood to have been damaged. | Windows at St Margaret Clitherow church in Holly Tree Lane and the presbytery are also understood to have been damaged. |
| At the scene, the road was cordoned off and four fire engines could be seen outside the destroyed house. | |
| The detached houses either side of the property were badly damaged. The windows had been blown out of one neighbouring house and the roofs of many houses on the street had been damaged by the explosion. Neighbours said the blast was heard across the area this morning. | |
| One woman, who did not want to be named, said she felt the explosion from a street away. She said: “There was a tremendous bang this morning. It shook the bed and the whole house.” |