Like a plane crash... man dies as gas blast destroys his house
THIS was the scene of sheer devastation yesterday after a massive blast reduced a house to rubble, killing a man who lived there.
The ferocity of the explosion, which could be heard for miles, was described by a neighbour as ‘like a mix of a bomb, a plane crash and a bus crash’.
Another dozen homes were damaged as the blast, believed to have been caused by a gas leak, blew out windows and hurled debris several hundred yards.
The explosion happened at 7.30am yesterday in the village of Haxby, near York. Paul Wilmott, 63, who was divorced and lived alone in the £250,000 house, was killed. The university worker’s body was found under a pile of bricks, concrete, wood and tiles by a sniffer dog.
Despite the scale of devastation, no one else was injured in the blast, which caused major structural damage to four adjacent homes. Police said there were no suspicious circumstances, they were treating the incident as an accident and the area was safe.
Rob Varley, 30, who lives on the next street, heard a ‘massive bang’ shortly after waking up. ‘It was like a mix of a bomb, a plane crash and a bus crashing into the house,’ he said. ‘Our house shook. I looked out the window and saw smoke coming from the houses. I ran outside to see if anyone was hurt and saw the house in pieces.’
Brett Duncan was with his two daughters when the house shook. ‘It was like an aeroplane had hit the house, it was that loud,’ he said. ‘I went running up the street and just saw a house that was a pile of rubble.’
Mr Wilmott, who had lived in the house for more than 20 years, is understood to have been a multimedia officer at Leeds Beckett University. He had a son aged 28. His exwife lives nearby.
Inspector Steve Breen of North Yorkshire Police said initial inquiries indicated it was a gas explosion.