Boyfriend’s horror over gas explosion
A BOYFRIEND has spoken of his horror after his partner’s house exploded around her.
Dozens of families were evacuated from homes on Rosslyn Avenue, Ryhope, on Friday morning, after an gas explosion ripped apart a home.
Mum-of-two Susan Shepherd, 40, was rescued from the rubble of the semi-detached house, which was destroyed in the blast.
The remnants of the structure, along with the house next door, later had to be pulled down – residents Christine and Colin Fisher got our safely after hearing a loud bang.
Standing near the remains of the home, Ms Shepherd’s Remains of the damaged homes after demolition teams moved in partner Steve Marley, 56, said he had spent most of the day in hospital watching over Susan, who had been put in an induced coma to recover. Emergency services have described her condition as “serious but stable”.
He said: “She’s in a coma, they are going to leave her there for a few days, but she’s burned, she’s black with soot, her hair’s burned, she’s in a bad way.”
Ms Shepherd’s eight-yearold daughter Jasmin had been staying at her father’s at the time of the blast, while her 18-year-old son Kyle was also staying with relatives and escaped the explosion.
Mr Marley spoke of his horror at the destruction of the house where he often stays, and his relief at his girlfriend’s unlikely escape – it’s thought she was saved by an open fridge door.
He said: “It was the fridge that saved her. She was in the kitchen at the time .... obviously when the blast went off the fridge has come down on her.
“She was under the fridge, otherwise she wouldn’t have been alive, she wouldn’t have got out.”
On Facebook, Ms Shepherd’s sister also opened up about the miraculous escape.
She said there must be a God as “how the hell can anyone survive that explosion?”.
Northumbria police have confirmed there was no third party involvement in the incident, and that no one else was hurt.
Families who had been rushed out of their homes just before 9am were gradually beginning to return to them by 6.30pm the same day, after the building where the explosion took place had been completely flattened by demolition crews for safety reasons.