One house has been destroyed and several others have suffered significant damage following an explosion in Birmingham.
A West Midlands ambulance service spokesman said a man was in a “life-threatening” state after the blast on Dulwich Road in the city’s Kingstanding area.
He said: “A man was helped out of the property by people at the scene, but he had suffered very serious injuries.
“After the assessment and treatment at the scene, they took him with blue lights to the main trauma center at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham with the MERIT team traveling by ambulance.
“His condition on arrival at the hospital was described as life-threatening.”
Four more men were evaluated by ambulance crews for minor ailments, but have since been discharged at the scene.
One property has been completely destroyed and three others badly damaged, the spokesman said.
Several nearby vehicles were also damaged by the blast.
A total of six fire crews are also at the site, along with Cadent Gas and National Grid officials.
Evacuations are being carried out and residents have been told to follow first aid “immediately”.
Police thanked those who had “helped the shocked and injured neighbors.”
The cause of the explosion is not yet known.
Image: The aftermath of the house explosion on Dulwich Road, Kingstanding
The video footage showed huge flames, damaged properties and a large pile of rubble from a terraced house.
Police took to the streets around 8:40 p.m. this Sunday.
“Dulwich Road and the surrounding roads are closed and will be closed for a long time,” the force said in a statement.
“Please help us by avoiding the area.”
Rick Payne, a city councilor, heard a “massive explosion” as he watched TV shortly after 8.30pm and walked to Dulwich Road to see what had happened.
He said: “I recognized that it was probably most likely a gas explosion.
“The house itself, where the explosion took place, has been physically destroyed.”