Firefighters called to gas explosion in north London
A flat in Newington Green was the scene of a suspected gas explosion last week, leading to home evacuations and roads in the area to be cordoned off.
The blast is said to have destroyed the ground-floor flat in the residential area of Aden Green around 6pm on Monday evening and firefighters from the London Fire Brigade were called out immediately.
The five-storey block of flats had to be evacuated, with more than 40 people affected. An emergency shelter was set up at Stoke Newington Town Hall for those who could not return to their homes straight away.
At the time, fire crews admitted that not everybody had been accounted for, but the Metropolitan Police had not been made aware of anyone being injured in the explosion.
The police later confirmed that there had been a gas explosion at the flat, with all its windows blown out, but this had not resulted in a fire.
Some witnesses reported smelling gas and hearing a hissing sound just before the powerful blast occurred.
After the explosion, people were spotted running into the street to see what had caused such a large bang, which shook a number of properties in the vicinity.
Lambeth gas explosion
A building has collapsed after a gas explosion on Oakden Street in Lambeth, London.
Police were called to the building at around 6.30pm on Saturday 22nd January.
Wimbledon Fire station said that there was no fire at the site and no casualties have been reported.
Hucknall sub-station fire believed to be arson
A serious fire at a sub-station in the Nottingham town of Hucknall is now being treated as arson, according to a statement issued by the local fire service.
The fire broke out at the Bolsover Road facility on Wednesday 12th January, following a reported explosion. The fire caused absolute chaos as power to hundreds of properties cut out and the residents of houses close to the facility had to be evacuated on mass. Nearby roads were closed and local tram services were disrupted.
Despite the disruption and chaos, fire crews ensured that no one was injured in the incident.
After the fire was extinguished and services in the area returned to normal, a police investigation team moved in to establish the cause of the fire. Detective Constable Louise Forster stated:
“As a result of a detailed forensic examination we now believe this fire was caused deliberately.”
The police have also appealed for any witnesses to the suspected arson to come forward. It is not yet known exactly how the fire was started, or what fire safety procedures (generally included in fire risk assessments) were in place at the facility.
Explosion at Nottingham sub-station
Fire fighters were called to a Hucknall sub-station after an explosion on 12th January.
Several homes were evacuated as police cordoned off the area. Other residents were asked to stay inside their homes with windows and doors closed.
Nottinghamshire Police have reported that there were no casualties.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Tesco explosion injures shoppers
An explosion at a Tesco store in Greater Manchester has injured eight people. A pregnant women and a 76 year old man were amongst the injured.
Greater Manchester firefighters attended the incident which is thought to have been caused by a pipe bursting in a fridge in the bakery department.