'I just wanted to save the guy's life'

Kayfee Hameed said he "just wanted to save the guy's life"

A man has described how he helped to pull a severely burned man from rubble after a house explosion.

Kayfee Hameed said he and a woman ran to help after a blast destroyed a semi-detached house in Kirkland Walk, Middlesbrough, on Tuesday afternoon.

The 57-year-old man, who was seriously injured, was flown to hospital and remains in a critical condition.

Mr Hameed said he "just wanted to save the guy's life".

Residents in the square and surrounding streets were evacuated from their homes following the explosion, which damaged 11 other houses, police said.

Cleveland Police said residents of Ettington Avenue and Frampton Green were now able to return to their homes.

Mr Hameed, who works as a roofer, said he was driving in the street when he saw "a house smoking".

"I shouted, 'anyone inside?' and somebody said there was a man there," he told BBC Radio Tees.

Mr Hameed said he went in to try find the man.

"It was very scary inside," he said.

"I lifted him up on put him on my back, someone else helped me take him out and we put him on the grass in front."

Asked if he had felt afraid, Mr Hameed said it was "normal" for him as he had lived in Iraq as a child.

"I've seen other things like this before so I wasn't scared and just went to save the guy's life," he said.

"People were very scared. When I went in it smelled like a barbecue."

He said the man was seriously burned on his face and hands.

"It was very hard to touch him and lift him up," Mr Hameed said.

The explosion damaged a neighbouring property

Other neighbours spoke of their shock following the explosion, which happened at about 12:40 BST.

Michelle Garner, 51, said: "The whole house was shaking.

"I jumped up and opened the front door and saw all the smoke and everyone was moving around and there was no house left."

Another man said: "I heard a big bang. I was in my living room and it shook the floor to the point I fell off my sofa."

A police cordon surrounds the scene of the explosion

Cleveland Police said it worked with Cleveland Fire Brigade, the North East Ambulance Service and Northern Powergrid to make the area safe.

A cordon remains in place due to the structural danger the damaged building poses, the force said.

It asked anyone who saw the explosion, or who has CCTV, doorbell or phone footage, to contact officers.