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| House in Southampton destroyed by 'gas explosion' | House in Southampton destroyed by 'gas explosion' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A four-year-old girl and her father have been pulled alive from the rubble of a house destroyed by a suspected gas explosion in the early hours. | A four-year-old girl and her father have been pulled alive from the rubble of a house destroyed by a suspected gas explosion in the early hours. |
| The blast completely destroyed the end-of-terrace house in the Shirley area of Southampton at about 01:30 GMT. | The blast completely destroyed the end-of-terrace house in the Shirley area of Southampton at about 01:30 GMT. |
| Neighbours in Howards Grove rescued the 36-year-old man and his daughter. | Neighbours in Howards Grove rescued the 36-year-old man and his daughter. |
| They were taken to Southampton General Hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries but both have since been discharged. | They were taken to Southampton General Hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries but both have since been discharged. |
| The little girl's mother was at work at the time of the blast. | The little girl's mother was at work at the time of the blast. |
| Stephen Kelsey, who was working nearby for BT, pulled the man from the rubble with the help of two colleagues and neighbours. | |
| He told BBC Radio Solent: "We ran up around there and you could see the house had pretty much disintegrated and there were a lot of people just stood around. | |
| "When we got close to the house, the little girl was sat on the wall out the front. We got closer and [could] see the fella was just stuck underneath a load of rubble. | |
| "We were moving the rubble and there were a couple of neighbours as well. He was pinned down by what looked like the kitchen wall so we just had to dig him out and scoop him out." | |
| Wesley Flood, a former ambulance technician who lives nearby, also helped rescue the man. | |
| He said: "There was a little girl sitting on the railings so I picked her up and carried her away. We went back and the father was behind the wall, his knees touching his chin; he was curled up. | |
| "I managed to haul him out and we took him where his daughter was and we waited for the ambulance. | |
| "The kid was shocked, she was crying on and off from the shock of it all. They were lucky to be alive." | |
| Steve Buchanan-Lee, station manager with Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "It's quite a scene - the fact that the people who were inside the property had been rescued by local residents prior to our arrival is nothing short of a miracle." | Steve Buchanan-Lee, station manager with Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "It's quite a scene - the fact that the people who were inside the property had been rescued by local residents prior to our arrival is nothing short of a miracle." |
| Four other houses were evacuated and other properties had their windows blown out. | Four other houses were evacuated and other properties had their windows blown out. |
| Next-door neighbour Kevin Crook said the blast caused major damage at his own house. | Next-door neighbour Kevin Crook said the blast caused major damage at his own house. |
| "I was fast asleep in bed, there was a massive great bang and I couldn't believe what I saw," he told the BBC. | |
| "I saw brick rubble all over the conservatory, the doors were all blown off, the big patio doors all blown off, the TV was over on its face, everything just crashed - it's like the house has had a great big shake. The walls are all done in. | "I saw brick rubble all over the conservatory, the doors were all blown off, the big patio doors all blown off, the TV was over on its face, everything just crashed - it's like the house has had a great big shake. The walls are all done in. |
| "As I went to the front door, the toilet's all gone, that's all just rubble. | "As I went to the front door, the toilet's all gone, that's all just rubble. |
| "I was concerned for next door but, to be honest, I didn't think they would have made it, but they have. It's unbelievable." | "I was concerned for next door but, to be honest, I didn't think they would have made it, but they have. It's unbelievable." |
| Firefighters worked to ensure there was no further collapse of the building. | Firefighters worked to ensure there was no further collapse of the building. |
| An exclusion zone is in place while engineers from Southern Gas Networks (SGN) and Southampton City Council investigate the cause of the explosion. | An exclusion zone is in place while engineers from Southern Gas Networks (SGN) and Southampton City Council investigate the cause of the explosion. |
| A SGN spokesman said engineers had isolated the gas supply to the property and supplies to other properties were unaffected. | A SGN spokesman said engineers had isolated the gas supply to the property and supplies to other properties were unaffected. |