Three in hospital after explosion and fire

Three people have been taken to hospital and 14 homes evacuated after an explosion rocked a street in West Yorkshire in the early hours.

Fire crews were called to Coventry Street, Halifax, at 12:04 BST following a blast and subsequent blaze, a West Yorkshire Fire Service spokesperson said.

Two people from one house were taken to hospital with serious injuries and another person from a second property received treatment for minor injuries, they added.

CCTV footage from a nearby home captured the house exploding in a ball of fire followed by a series of smaller bangs, before a number of people can be seen running into the street shouting 'get out of the house'.

A Northern Gas Networks spokesperson said its crews were called to the scene and were "working closely with the emergency services to support the incident".

They said that it was "too early to speculate on the cause at this time".

Five crews and an aerial ladder were used to extinguish the fire, with the road closed while investigations continue.

Marie Roberts, 36, who lives nearby, witnessed the blaze.

She said she had wished her daughter, who turned 19 on Thursday, a happy birthday just before midnight as they turned in for the night.

"I heard a bang, my daughter shouted from the top bedroom that there was a fire," she said.

"I went to have a look through her window and the whole roof was ablaze.

"The fire went down the house.

"I've never seen a fire do that before."

Michele Natalizio, who lives nearby said she was woken up by what she initially thought was a car crash.

"Then there were several bangs, one after the other," she explained.

"We all rushed out of our homes and it was frightening as sounded like fireworks, just one after another and it was a long time before the fire was out."

Another resident Carly Mullaney said she felt her house shake and watched as "things fell on the floor".

Investigations are continuing at the scene

"I could hear screams. I just hope everyone is OK. I couldn't stop crying last night thinking about it," she said.

Another resident said they were just falling asleep when the explosion happened.

They said: "We ran downstairs but we couldn't go out of the front because it was popping and banging, so I got my children out of the back instead.

"People were just rushing out of their homes screaming. It was awful."

Fire crews worked through the night at the properties

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