Bury explosion: Evacuation after woman hurt in blast at house

A woman was seriously injured in an explosion that saw homes and a primary school evacuated.

The blast happened just before 11:00 GMT on Nelson Street in Bury, Greater Manchester.

The injured woman, who is in her 70s, was taken to hospital.

An eyewitness said the property had been badly damaged in the explosion, with clouds of smoke filling nearby streets.

St Luke's Primary School, which has more than 480 pupils, had to call parents to take their children home early.

Eleven homes were also evacuated, with emergency services planning to work "into the night to get residents back into their properties as soon as possible", a Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said.

The condition of a house next door to the damaged terraced home is being investigated to "work out which are safe", the spokeswoman added.

The cause of the blast has not yet been confirmed.

Earlier, a spokesman for gas company Cadent said it was "too early to say" what caused the explosion.

Staff from the firm were working to "make sure everything associated with gas on site is safe", he added.

Thick smoke could be seen pouring from the area

A 200-metre cordon was put in place, with nearby Gigg Lane in Fishpool also closed between Horne Street and Market Street.

'Like a bomb'

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service has urged people to avoid the area.

Mushtaq Anwar, who lives next door to the affected house, said the explosion sounded "like a bomb blast", and had caused a wall in his property to collapse.

The taxi driver told BBC Radio Manchester his family, including two small children, escaped through the back door of their home after the front entrance was blocked by falling bricks.

His nephew Hamzah Anwar said the front door off the damaged house had blown off and smashed into his uncle's car.

Bury councillor Tamoor Tariq said the "heart-breaking" explosion happened right outside his home and emergency services were "doing all possible to deal with this awful situation."

Fire crews are at the scene of the blast in the Fishpool area of Bury

Nelson Street resident Anthony Hamilton said there were "bricks and smoke everywhere", with surrounding homes also damaged.

"We went out to Bury Market this morning, and got a call to say there had been an explosion", he said.

Bury Football Club's nearby Gigg Lane stadium was opened to provide shelter to people and hand out hot drinks.

A woman was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital

The Cadent spokesman said the immediate priority was to "keep everyone safe", and urged people to follow the advice of emergency services.

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