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Birmingham explosion: Woman found dead and man seriously hurt

A woman has been found dead at the scene of a major gas explosion that destroyed a house in Birmingham and damaged others.

“We’re very sad to confirm that a woman has been found dead at the scene,” West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) said.

A man also suffered life-threatening injuries in the blast in Dulwich Road, Kingstanding, which happened just after 20:30 BST on Sunday.

At least three other homes were damaged and properties were evacuated.

The man was rescued from the house by people at the scene but had suffered “very serious” injuries, the ambulance service said.

Four other men suffered more minor injuries and were discharged by paramedics.

Investigations at the scene are continuing

Martin Ward-White, the incident commander for WMFS, told a news conference the woman who died was found “relatively quickly within the property that exploded”.

“It is really sad and tragic, not just for the individuals involved, not just the local community but especially the family and friends of the individuals who have been affected by this,” he said.

“We continue to thank the local residents for their support and understanding.”

Footage on social media showed flames, damage and debris from a terraced red brick house.

“The next steps for the fire service and gas board will be to start the investigation into what caused this explosion,” Mr Ward-White said. “We know it is gas but what actually caused that gas explosion.

“This will probably take a substantial amount of time.”

Twenty-one people were evacuated and had gone to stay at other houses and hotels provided by Birmingham City Council, he added.

The badly injured man was taken to the city’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital for treatment in its major trauma centre.

Residents said they had clambered past flaming debris and through rubble to reach the man.

“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,” a man, who did not want to be named, told the PA news agency.

He said dust from a loft insulation was burning around them.

“We got him [the injured man] out, he ended up coming out on a mattress,” he said.

One resident told the BBC she heard a bang before the house and windows shook.

She said the whole community had been affected. “I didn’t sleep last night, it’s so sad.”

Another said of the explosion: “I thought it was a bomb, I thought a bomb had gone off.”

Cadent, the region’s emergency gas service, was also sent to the scene

A total of 25 firefighters were sent to tackle the blaze after the explosion.

Following the blast and fire, which also damaged vehicles, evacuations took place and people were urged to avoid the area.

West Midlands Police said Dulwich Road and surrounding roads were closed and would be “for a very long time”.

The force thanked those who had “helped shocked and injured neighbours”.

Several other homes near to the destroyed home sustained significant damage, said police

One man posted on Twitter to praise his cousin, who he said had run into the burning building to rescue someone.

Birmingham councillor Sharon Thompson said her thoughts were with everyone involved in the “horrific explosion”.

Six fire crews, three ambulances, five paramedic officers and a national inter-agency liaison officer were among the resources sent to the scene.

Fire service area commander Steve Ball described the scene as “challenging”.

“One house had been completely destroyed and three neighbouring properties had also been quite badly affected,” Mr Ball said.

“There are approximately six other houses that have been evacuated and the residents are currently being looked after by the local authority.”

The house on Dulwich Road has been completely destroyed

Rick Payne, a city councillor, went to the scene to help after hearing a “massive explosion” while watching television.

He spoke to the authority’s chief executive who sent emergency planning staff.

Cadent, the gas emergency service for the West Midlands, said its teams were on site as part of the multi-agency response and added its thoughts were with those affected.

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