An evacuation has been ordered near the site of a fatal house explosion in Bedford after one person was killed and another one injured.
A neighbour heard a ‘mighty bang’ and said the roof ‘came off’ after an unexplained blast killed one person when it ripped through a home in Bedford.
A second person was taken to hospital to be treated for serious injuries following the incident in Cleat Hill on Saturday morning.
The immediate area has been evacuated and people were told to stay away after the discovery of higher levels of natural gas.
The police said in a statement: ‘Following the explosion and subsequent identification of increased levels of natural gas in the ground, an evacuation of the immediate area has been undertaken and a cordon and road closures remain in place as a precaution.
‘The gas levels identified are thought to be naturally occurring gasses from an underground source and not coming from the gas pipe network in the area.
‘Safety is our main priority, and so we are still advising for people to avoid the Cleat Hill area whilst work at the scene continues.
‘We also want to remind any drone owners that the area is currently a no-fly zone.
‘We know that residents of nearby properties want to get back into their homes as quickly as possible and we thank them for their continued support and patience.’
One neighbour, who wished not to be named, said natural gas was discovered coming ‘out from the ground’ in June during nearby building work.
She said residents were in ‘tenterhooks’ over fear of not knowing ‘which is is going to go up.’
‘I’m quite elderly and I don’t want to live the rest of my years with this fear – it’s horrible,’ she added.
Cadent said it has tested its gas pipe network and ‘no leaks have been detected.’
It said it has cut off the gas supply to the affected property ‘as a safety precaution.’ Cadent experts remain on site to ‘advise and assist the fire service and HSE in their investigations.’
Another neighbour who lives in a nearby property said: ‘I just heard the bang, I heard a mighty bang that was really massive.
‘I can’t describe it. I’ve never heard anything like it.’
The resident, who was evacuated from her home following the incident, said she thought initially the noise at around 7am was caused by something falling on her roof or a car that had come off the road.
She continued to say that the ‘whole roof’ of the affected house ‘came off’ in the explosion.
She added: ‘Whatever was left of the roof went up in flames, I didn’t see the flames itself, when I went out it was more like smoke.
‘We weren’t allowed to go closer because it wasn’t safe, we were told to go back inside because they didn’t know what was going to happen.
‘I left at about 8 o’clock last night and fire brigade have been there through the night.’
She added that she had been told to call 101 to ask for updates on when it was safe to return to her home.
Bedfordshire Borough Council has set up an emergency assistance centre for people who have been evacuated from their homes, police said.
In a post on Saturday evening, police wrote on X: ‘Inquiries are ongoing to identify the cause of the explosion and residents still in their homes should keep their windows open.
‘We understand that this incident is very concerning for those who live in the vicinity and are still advising for people to avoid the Cleat Hill area whilst work at the scene continues.’
The cause of the explosion and fire remains unclear.
According to the Bedford Borough Council website, work was undertaken to address a gas leak in the area earlier in the year after which the council said it was still looking for a long term-solution.
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