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Lucky escape in gas fireball blast
A DUNDEE mother and her two young children escaped serious injury yesterday when a gas fireball ripped through their family home in Clepington Road.
The strength of the explosion, believed to have been caused by a leaking gas fire, was so powerful that two bedroom doors were blasted off their hinges and the flat’s ceiling, carpet and walls were badly damaged.
Samantha Brunton was in the second- floor flat with her eight-month-old daughter Kaylin and three-year-old son Alfie when the explosion occurred, but miraculously no one was hurt.
The relieved mother has been left shocked by the frightening episode and is thankful her family had a lucky escape.
She said, “My son was in his bedroom watching cartoons and I was in my room trying to settle my daughter and get her to sleep on my bed.”
Samantha added, “I heard a huge bang and I started crying, it sounded like the house was caving in, the noise was so loud.
“The doors had blown off the hinges and the ceiling looked like it had fallen in. It has cracks all around it.
“I went through to the living room where the gas fire was and there was smoke everywhere. The carpet was on fire and my wee boy’s seat has been ripped and burned too.
Samantha (22), who has lived at the privately rented address for two years, said she is relieved only material possessions were lost.
“It could have been so much worse. My son had gone to the bathroom and said the fire had nearly touched his toes. He was really scared,” she continued.
“I can’t get over it, I’m just relieved no one was hurt— even the dog who was in the living room when it started is OK, although he was a bit scared to come back into the flat afterwards.
“The fireman said the gas fireball must have gone right through the house.
“He said it was unusual in cases like this for no one to be hurt because they usually have to carry people out in body bags after a gas explosion.”
Fire crews attended the scene and assessed the safety of the flat before a structural engineer and gas company employees arrived to inspect the home.
Samantha’s boyfriend Paul McGhee (29) was at work when he heard about the blast and cannot believe his family made it out of the flat without injury. He said, “The fire crews said we were very lucky because usually with a gas explosion the whole house comes down.
“We think the cause of the explosion was a leak in the gas fire. I’m so relieved, we were so lucky, the explosion blew off two doors in the flat and one went into the wall and the other landed on top of my daughter’s cot.
“Thank goodness she was in the bed with her mum or it could have been so much worse.”
Bill Butterworth, watch manager for Tayside Fire and Rescue, said it was imperative people got frequent fire safety checks in their homes.
He said, “It appears to have possibly been a gas explosion, which may have been caused by a leak in the gas fire.
“We went into the building to check whether it was safe and a structural engineer is being sent out.
“Tayside Fire and Rescue would advise anyone to get their gas fires regularly serviced and they could also consider installing a carbon monoxide alarm in their homes.”
Sent: 26/01/2008
Email us direct at: repairs@londonheatingservices.co.uk
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