Blast so powerful it triggered earthquake monitors three miles from block of f lats
At least three killed and a dozen feared dead
AT least three people were killed and up to 12 others feared dead after an explosion demolished a block of flats in Jersey.
The blast – just before 4am yesterday – was so powerful it triggered earthquake monitors. Residents had called emergency services to report smelling gas less than eight hours before.
Footage of the aftermath showed a huge blaze and plumes of thick smoke above the capital of St Helier.
The three-storey building collapsed ‘like a pancake’, according to Chief of Police Robin Smith.
He added: ‘It’s a scene of utter devastation. The building has completely collapsed. It doesn’t even look like the building it was. It’s a scene of tragedy.’
The South West Hazardous Area Response Team arrived on the island yesterday along with an ‘urban search and rescue team’ from Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service.
They will use rescue dogs to help local firefighters hunt for survivors at the Haut du Mont building, near St Helier harbour.
Jersey Fire and Rescue Service said the wreckage still contained ‘pockets of fire’ more than 12 hours after the blast.
Two ‘walking wounded’ were sent to hospital after the explosion, but police said up to 12 people remained missing. The cause of the blast was still being investigated last night, but a fire crew was called to the block, believed to contain six flats, on Friday at 8.36pm after residents said they could smell gas.
Chief Fire Officer Paul Brown said he could not give details of how the crew dealt with the incident, but added: ‘I know they did conduct investigations, but at the moment what I’m focused on is just the emergency response.’
Energy firm Island Energy said it was working to ‘understand exactly what has happened’.
Mr Smith said: ‘We have a building that has completely collapsed – described from a demolition point of view as a pancake that has dropped almost straight down.
‘There is also damage to a nearby building, another block of flats that the fire service needs to make safe. It is a pretty devastating scene, I regret to say.’
When asked whether there were likely to be more deaths, he said: ‘There has to be a recognition that we could have more fatalities.’
The building was managed by Andium Homes, a state-owned but independent company that rents out properties on the island.
The blast was so powerful that British Geological Survey sensors registered it three miles away.
A spokesman said: ‘The magnitude was -0.1, but it appears that most of the energy was released into the atmosphere as an airwave.’
Carl Walker, a local resident and chairman of Jersey Consumer Council, said the explosion made his house shake, adding: ‘Many islanders were woken by it. I thought it was an earthquake.
Pretty scary thing to wake up to.’ Another neighbour said: ‘The bed started to shake and there was a massive bang. I checked online for news about an earthquake.’
Up to 40 people were moved from surrounding homes and taken to a nearby parish hall before accommodation was found for them.
Police said emergency crews would spend ‘days, maybe weeks’ at the scene.
Kristina Moore, Jersey’s Chief Minister, said: ‘It’s a huge shock to everyone, but in the first instance our condolences go to the families who are affected.’
Last night the Parish Church of St Helier held a candlelit vigil.
The dean of Jersey, Reverend Mike Keirle, said: ‘Everybody who has been displaced because of the explosion has somewhere to stay this evening.
‘People have been queuing up to help and do all they can to offer food and warmth.
‘There has been a wonderful, caring response from the community.’
‘Utter devastation... it’s a scene of tragedy’