Neighbours' plane crash fears after gas explosion

People living near the scene of a gas explosion at a house in Leeds have said they initially feared the "almighty bang" might have been caused by a plane crash.

Emergency services were called to the property on Marshall Street in Yeadon, less than two miles (3km) from Leeds Bradford Airport, after the blast at about 22:35 GMT on Wednesday.

A 57-year-old man suffered serious injuries in the explosion, with two houses sustaining substantial damage and several other properties being evacuated for a time.

Neighbour Andrew Fielden, who immediately ran out of his house to investigate, said: "We didn't know what was going on. We thought a plane might have crashed, or anything. It was quite a bang."

West Yorkshire Police said on Thursday that the injured man remained in a critical but stable condition in hospital.

There were no suspicious circumstances to the blast, a force spokesperson added.

A spokesperson for Northern Gas Networks said the explosion was not believed to have involved its network, but added that the property's supply had been disconnected as a precaution.

Mr Fielden said as soon as he heard the explosion, he had "jumped out of bed".

"We were laid in bed and the next thing you know we heard an almighty bang. The house shook," he said.

"I ran round the corner, ran up the street and I saw all these windows and doors and everything in the middle of the street.

"I ran up to his house and shouted at the door, 'Is there anybody in there?' He just appeared out of nowhere did this bloke.

"I said to him, 'You need to get out of the house, mate, or else it could blow up again'."

Mr Fielden said that as soon as the emergency services arrived, "they cordoned everything off and lots of people had to evacuate their houses and so did we".

"I could hear gas gushing and maybe water rushing when I went up to his house, that's why I said you've got to get out," he added.

Aimee Olivia, another Marshall Street resident, said she also thought the explosion could have been caused by a plane crash, due to the airport's proximity.

"With it being so close, I wasn't sure. Then I heard it was a suspected gas explosion," she said.

"There were lots of blue lights, lots of fire engines, lots of people out on the street, a lot of noise, a lot of debris on the road, and a lot of smashed glass.

"All the windows were through and there was lots of damage to the property next door as well."

Ms Olivia said she was "terrified" as it was usually such a quiet street.

Meanwhile, local residents Jenn and Chris Wiley said at first they thought the noise might have been a sonic boom.

"We were just sat watching the television and there was a really loud bang. We jumped out of our skin," Mr Wiley said.

"We thought someone was trying to break in, and then we thought something might have happened at the airport, like a plane had gone off the runway or something.

"We have had that before where a sonic boom has gone off. The dogs jumped out of their skins as well.

"All the neighbours thought the same - a sonic boom - until we realised what had gone on."

West Yorkshire Police said several nearby houses had to be evacuated following the blast, but all residents - except those at the two badly damaged properties - had now returned home.

A force spokesperson said: "Initial investigations suggest it was a gas explosion. The source of the gas is currently under investigation."

Investigations into the circumstances of the blast were continuing and officers would remain at the scene, they added.

Chris Nevison, business operations lead for Northern Gas Networks, said: "We were made aware of an incident at a property in Yeadon at around 22:40 on New Year's Day.

"Our engineers were on site within the hour to support the emergency services with their investigations into the cause.

"At this stage, there is nothing to suggest this incident is linked to our network."

Engineers from Leeds City Council were expected to attend the scene to assess the damage caused to the two properties.

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