A woman has been found dead at the scene of a major gas explosion that destroyed a house in Birmingham and damaged others.
“We’re very sad to confirm that a woman has been found dead at the scene,” West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) said.
A man also suffered life-threatening injuries in the blast in Dulwich Road, Kingstanding, which happened just after 20:30 BST on Sunday.
At least three other homes were damaged and properties were evacuated.
The man was rescued from the house by people at the scene but had suffered “very serious” injuries, the ambulance service said.
Four other men suffered more minor injuries and were discharged by paramedics.
Martin Ward-White, the incident commander for WMFS, told a news conference the woman who died was found “relatively quickly within the property that exploded”.
“It is really sad and tragic, not just for the individuals involved, not just the local community but especially the family and friends of the individuals who have been affected by this,” he said.
“We continue to thank the local residents for their support and understanding.”
Footage on social media showed flames, damage and debris from a terraced red brick house.
The next steps for the fire service and gas board will be to start the investigation into what caused this explosion,” Mr Ward-White said. “We know it is gas but what actually caused that gas explosion.
“This will probably take a substantial amount of time.”
Twenty-one people were evacuated and had gone to stay at other houses and hotels provided by Birmingham City Council, he added.
House explosion in kingstanding! pic.twitter.com/Bh5FHpdMDZ
— Simon (@CarthySM) June 26, 2022