Lincolnshire explosion kills five

Five men have died in an explosion at an industrial unit in Boston, Lincolnshire.

The incident at the Broadfield Lane industrial estate was attended by 5 fire crews at around 7.00pm on Wednesday.

Firefighters rescued one man who is now in a serious condition in Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham.

Dave Ramscar from Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “In total, 35 firefighters attended this incident and along with our control room staff, did an incredible job in very difficult circumstances. All the crews involved have been offered emotional support and counselling, as thankfully, most firefighters rarely experience an incident as serious as this. Our thoughts go out to the families of the men whose lives were tragically lost on Wednesday night, and to the sixth man who we understand is still in a hospital with severe burns. We are continuing to work with Lincolnshire Police to look into the cause of the incident and any further investigations that may need to take place”

Lincolnshire Police said it was not clear what had caused the blast but reports suggest that the unit was being used for distilling illegal alcohol.

Superintendent Keith Owen, from Lincolnshire Police, said: “Our main focus is to identify the unfortunate people who died last night. I don’t want to speculate on whether this was or was not a distillery at this stage. What we’re looking for at the moment are witnesses and being able to identify the persons who lost their lives last night. That’s the main focus of our investigation at the moment.”