Live updates: Birmingham Kingstanding house explosion - woman dies and man critical in hospital

The boiler at the house needed repairs or to be replaced, it has emerged.

The three-bedroom terraced property had recently been sold for £160,000.

It was sold by Birmingham-based Paul Carr Estate Agents and aerial pictures show a red ‘sold’ sign in the rubble.

On the firm’s website, the property’s particulars states: “Boiler requires repair / replacement.”

The description goes on: “A three bedroom terraced in need of some upgrading and offering a competitively priced starting point on the property ladder.

“The lounge floor in the bay requires attention and the property is priced to reflect the amount of potential on offer rear.

“Outside the rear garden has a slabbed patio area leading to the good size lawn, there is a shared side passage and viewing is advised of this majority centrally heated (boiler requires repair / replacement) and double-glazed property.”

Residents have described the moment they helped to save a man following the house explosion in Kingstanding.

They said they clambered past flaming debris and through dust and rubble shortly after the blast to pull an injured man alive from the ruins.

One good samaritan, who declined to give his name, said: “Everyone was watching, the house was on fire, nobody was going in, so we could see a way in.

“So we went in the house, me and about a dozen others.

“There was a guy in the back. We could hear the guy screaming, but he was trapped up against the fridge in the kitchen.

“The dust from the loft insulation was burning around us.

“We managed to get to him and pull him out – I still have his blood on my jeans.

“He ended up coming out on a mattress, but he was saying there was a woman in the house.”

The rescuer added: “His clothes had been blown off. You couldn’t even see him, he was covered in blood.”

He added: “We just went straight through the (front) door, and I thought I went through the house’s door – but it was actually the next door house’s door, because the house door had been destroyed.

“We came out to the back, and then we could hear the man, geezer, screaming, and we dug him out.

“He was in the kitchen, lying flat on the floor, with his back against a fridge or washing machine.

“He was going, ‘Don’t pull me – my legs’, and I said, ‘Mate, we’re going to have to take you out now’.”

The explosion saw debris blasted to the other side of the street, neighbouring properties damaged and a tree shredded.

More than 20 people were evacuated nearby and a handful were treated at the scene for minor wounds.

The fire service said good progress was being made at the scene and a drone was being used to identify hot spots.

Martin Ward-White, an area commander at West Midlands Fire Service, said it “was clear that a gas explosion had taken place”.

Speaking from the street on Monday, he said: “There was one male casualty who was taken to hospital immediately with life threatening injuries.

“There’s no update on that casualty at this point in time.

“However, what we can confirm is that sadly one female has lost her life at this incident.

“This female was identified relatively quickly within the property that exploded.

“However, due to the process of removing this individual and also the identification process, we’ve been unable to make that statement until now.

“Obviously, that’s really sad and tragic, not just for the individuals involved, not just for the local community, but especially the family and friends of the individuals who have been affected by this.

“We continue to thank the local residents for their support and understanding.”

Mr Ward-White said investigators will look into what exactly caused the gas explosion.

He also praised those who went into the burning ruins to save the man.

Latest footage from the scene shows smoke continue to billow from the scene of the explosion on Dulwich Road in Kingstanding. Many people are at the scene watching as the emergrency services contiue to manage the aftermath.

One person has died following the explosion at a house in Kingstanding on Sunday evening.

West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to reports of an explosion at about 8.40pm on Sunday evening to Dulwich Road.

Three ambulances, five paramedic officers, the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART), the MERIT trauma doctor and critical care paramedic, West Midlands CARE team, and an emergency planner were sent to the scene.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “Members of the Hazardous Area Response Team worked with firefighters to search the damaged property and sadly discovered one person.

“There was nothing that could be done and the person was confirmed dead at the scene.”

A media briefing will take place at 1.30pm today where the area commander at West Midlands Fire Service will provide an update.

We will bring you the latest developments right here on our live blog.

West Midlands Police area commander Alex Shapland has been talking to the media.

Police say they know the explosion was a gas explosion, but are not sure on the cause as of yet.

The explosion is not being treated as suspicious, according to police, and they believe it was an isolated incident.

A woman died following the explosion on Sunday night, and a man remains critically ill in hospital.

Police say four other people who were injured and treated at the scene lived at different houses in the street.

The West Midlands Fire Service has said it could be days before the cause of the blast is known.

A statement read: “It could be days before the precise cause of a fatal gas explosion in #Kingstanding is known.

“Investigations continue, at what is a very challenging scene. Thank you to the local community for your continued understanding and support.”

Around a dozen fearless members of the public dug through rubble to rescue a seriously injured man from a burning building after a gas explosion caused the terraced house to collapse, witnesses said.

The bloodied victim was carried to safety on a mattress shortly after the home was blown apart in the blast on Sunday evening.

A woman at the property could not be rescued and was confirmed to have died by emergency services on Monday morning.

Kiera Parkinson, whose boyfriend Callum Attwood was among those who helped at the scene in Birmingham, said: “We’re so proud of literally every single person that risked their lives to go in there and help somebody else.”

The casualty is in a life-threatening condition in hospital.

Residents said that they clambered past flaming debris and through dust and rubble shortly after the blast to pull the injured man alive from the ruins of the property, on Dulwich Road in Kingstanding.

One of the Good Samaritans, who declined to give his name, said: “Everyone was watching, the house was on fire, nobody was going in, so we could see a way in.

“So we went in the house, me and about a dozen others.

“There was a guy in the back. We could hear the guy screaming, but he was trapped up against the fridge in the kitchen.

“The dust from the loft insulation was burning around us.

“We managed to get to him and pull him out – I still have his blood on my jeans.

“He ended up coming out on a mattress, but he was saying there was a woman in the house.”

The rescuer said: “His clothes had been blown off. You couldn’t even see him, he was covered in blood.”

He added: “We could hear the man, geezer, screaming, and we dug him out.

“He was in the kitchen, lying flat on the floor, with his back against a fridge or washing machine.

“He was going, ‘Don’t pull me – my legs’, and I said, ‘Mate, we’re going to have to take you out now’.”

The rescuers tried to douse their clothes with water from damaged pipes to protect themselves from the flames.

Eyewitness Ms Parkinson said she and her boyfriend arrived on the scene shortly after the blast to check in on his mother who lives locally after hearing the “massive bang” at around 8.30pm.

She said: “Callum and I’d say about 10 other men ran in to obviously help and do what they could.

“I know they brought a man out on a mattress, I know they were willing to help a lady but couldn’t actually get to the lady.

“We just want it known Callum didn’t act alone, there’s plenty of other people that deserve the praise.”

She said: “I think everyone in Kingstanding will think: what a community to be part of, you couldn’t ask for better.

“When it comes to it, we’re all there for each other.

“I’m so proud of him and proud of all the others as well.”

She added the men had helped, without “even a second” of hesitation or thought for their own lives.

“Just (straight) in there – they did what they had to do,” she said.

“I just think for most of us in Kingstanding it’s just a day of sadness, because of what has happened – it’s a complete tragedy.

“But we’re so proud of literally every single person that risked their lives to go in there and help somebody else.

“What a community.”