Bury explosion: Three homes damaged in blast to be demolished

Three houses are to be demolished following an explosion that seriously injured a woman.

The house directly affected by the blast, in Nelson Street, Bury, Greater Manchester, will have to be taken down along with the houses on either side.

Bury Council confirmed that its building inspectors had decided the houses should be condemned.

Gas supply firm Cadent said it was "too early to say" what caused the incident.

A spokesman for the company said engineers had isolated the gas supply to the affected properties to "ensure the safety of the teams who are working in and around them, particularly in light of the structural damage" to the homes.

Paula Lyons, area manager of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, said: "It is undetermined as to what caused the explosion currently but we will continue to work with partners and Greater Manchester Police."

Neighbours described the explosion as "like a bomb blast" with "bricks and smoke everywhere".

Fire crews worked overnight to deal with the aftermath of the explosion

Mr Tariq told BBC Radio Manchester there was "devastation and shock" within the community, adding: "I know people will remember this for a very long time to come."

"I suppose the positives we take from this are that the community spirit has been very, very strong. The response from the emergency services has been incredible," he said.

St Luke's Primary School, which has more than 480 pupils, has reopened after parents were called in to take children home early on Wednesday.

At the scene

Richard Stead, BBC News, Manchester

One house had its front ripped clean off by the blast

It really is the most extraordinary scene here - I am looking directly into someone's front bedroom.

There is debris across the street, roof tiles falling off the house. Neighbouring properties on the terraced street are also badly damaged.

There's a front door that's bent backward into the street, possibly from the heat of the flames or the force of the explosion.

And there's a car opposite that is completely written off after being hit by debris.

Neighbours are just trying to take it all in.

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

He said his family, including two small children, escaped through their back door after the front entrance was blocked by falling bricks.

The walls in taxi driver Mushtaq Anwar's home were blown in by the explosion

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

Another local resident, Anthony Hamilton, said there were "bricks and smoke everywhere", while Bury Football Club's nearby Gigg Lane stadium was opened to provide shelter and refreshments.

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