Daylight shows extent of destruction as gas blast nearly hit child

Pictures today made clear the extent of the damage after a gas explosion destroyed a terraced house in Ilford, narrowly missing a five-year-old girl. 

Two people were rushed to hospital after being pulled from a window by firefighters following a massive gas explosion on a residential street in London.

Neighbours said debris narrowly missed a five-year old girl as it was blasted into the road.

A huge fire then engulfed the home, at the height of the incident the first floor and loft conversion were fully alight with eight fire engines and 60 firefighters tackling the blaze, London Fire Brigade said. 

Firefighters were seen helping a woman out of a kitchen on the first floor of the building as huge flames tore through the roof.

Following the explosion, the roof of the building was destroyed and the rest of the building was significantly damaged.

The ground floor, first floor and loft conversion of the house were destroyed by the fire, while two neighbouring properties are being assessed for structural damage.

Images in the daylight now show the roof which has been blown off, leaving debris stained black and a collapsed wall on the first floor. 

Fire crews remained on the scene throughout the evening with the cause of the explosion under investigation. 

Averil Young, 87, who lives across the road, told the Evening Standard the explosion reminded her of the Blitz.

She said: 'I have never been so frightened in my life. There was a big red flash. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing it shook next door.

'I went into shock. It reminded me of the Second World War. I thought it was a bomb. Then the flames started to go up. There was still smoke at 4am this morning.' 

Another witness said: 'When we looked around the back the whole house was on fire. I saw the fire brigade take three people out of the first floor. They had a ladder up and were helping them out.'

Three people were treated at the scene by paramedics with two being rescued from a first floor window by firefighters using a ladder and were taken to hospital. Their conditions are currently not known. 

Five further people left neighbouring properties before the the fire service arrived.

A 32-metre ladder was used to fight the fire from above while a drone was deployed to give firefighters an aerial view of the house.

Glass, bricks and other bits of debris from the building were blasted across the road and onto parked cars outside the house. 

Residents are continuing to be told to avoid the area with the road being closed while the incident is being investigated.

Shocking footage shows the moment a terraced house goes up in flames in Ley Street in Ilford at around 4.10pm yesterday. 

Redbridge Council said the road will be closed in both directions until at least 11am tomorrow.

A council statement said: 'Thank you for your co-operation in allowing blue lights to do their work. Council services are supporting those directly affected by tonight's incident.'

Station Commander Darren McTernan said: 'Firefighters worked hard to bring this fire under control. Crews will remain on scene throughout the evening.

'Ley Street remains closed between Eastern Avenue and Vicarage Road, impacting traffic in the surrounding area, so please continue to avoid the area if you can.

'One of the Brigade's 32-metre turntable ladders was used at the scene as a water tower to help fight the fire from above. 

'The Brigade's drone team were also deployed to the incident, offering the Incident Commander an aerial view of the scene.'

A Met Police spokesperson said: 'Police were called at 4.08pm on December 10 to reports of a fire at a residential property in Ley Street, Ilford. 

'We have attended alongside the London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service. 

'We remain at the scene and cordons are in place.'

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: 'We sent resources including ambulance crews, an advanced paramedic practitioner, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team (HART).

'We treated three people. We took two to hospital and discharged a third at the scene.'

Jas Athwal, MP for Ilford South, wrote on X (formerly Twitter): 'Please be aware there is an ongoing fire in a residential property on Ley Street in Ilford.

'London Fire Brigade & Redbridge Borough Police are on the scene. People are advised to stay away from the area while the emergency services attend.'

Councillor Khayer Chowdhury, cabinet member for enforcement and community safety on Redbridge Council, said: 'Praying nobody has been hurt in this and also thanking our brave firefighters. 

'Please avoid driving into the Ley Street area and allow emergency services to do their jobs.'

He added: 'We're standby to provide support to London Fire Brigade with the clear up operation'. 

'We're also on standby to support residents who have been directly affected by this incident and will be liaising with our Fire Brigade & Redbridge Borough Police partners.'