At least one person has died and three others have been taken to hospital as a result of a fire and explosion at a block of flats on Redwood Grove, Bedford, just after 9 am on Monday 4 July.
Of those affected, two people were seriously injured, and a firefighter was hospitalized for smoke inhalation after the fire. East of England Ambulance Service airlifted one person to Addenbrooke’s Hospital with leg injuries.
cause of the explosion
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service have confirmed that there is no mains gas line at the property, as their investigation into the cause of the explosion continues.
They described the blaze as a “major incident” in a statement on the day of the fire, and that they sent “six appliances, two water carriers, an incident command unit” to the fire, which saw extensive structural damage to the flats. Indeed, the block of flats is damaged to such an extent that search teams are unlikely to be able to enter the main affected block for some time.
emergency services
A resident has reported that they saw one person jump from a second-floor window to escape the burning
Local police have also warned that more fatalities may be discovered in the coming days as emergency services continue to search the scene, as there are still residents of the block unaccounted for.
A resident has reported that they saw one person jump from a second-floor window to escape the burning building, and pupils at Shackleton Primary School were also sent home for the day due to the proximity of the fire. All children at the school were safe and unharmed.
emergency assistance center
Bedfordshire Police said, “[The fire] has engulfed the whole building and caused a large portion of the roof to collapse. An emergency assistance center has been set up by Bedford Borough Council, at the John Bunyan Centre in Bedford, for people who have been evacuated and need support.
“An adjacent block of flats has also been evacuated and we are working as quickly as we can to get people back into their homes as quickly as possible.”
Fatalities discovered
Very sadly we know that at least one person has passed away in the explosion, there is a possibility for more"Bedfordshire Police Chief Superintendent John Murphy said, “Very sadly we know that at least one person has passed away in the explosion."
“There is a possibility that there will be more fatalities discovered in the coming days as we continue to search through the scene and several people were injured as well.”
protracted stage
Following the start of the investigation into the cause of the fire, Chief Superintendent Murphy added, “We still do not know the cause of the explosion. Several lines of inquiry are taking place to help us establish that and we are working closely with our colleagues from the fire service as part of our investigation."
“We are now entering a protracted stage of the investigation at a very complex scene where we will be conducting our inquiries as diligently and professionally as we can."
support and patience
“It may take a significant amount of time before we can begin to search at the affected site, given the damage that has been caused and the risks that present to our teams. Therefore, at this stage, we cannot rule out the possibility of further fatalities being discovered."
“We know that residents of nearby properties want to get back into their homes as quickly as possible, and we thank them for their continued support and patience while we continue to ensure the scene is safe.”