Investigations into an explosion which partially demolished a house contiare continuing
Fire investigators and police have yet to determine the cause of the blast in Smethwick, West Midlands, which sparked a severe fire just before 5pm on Monday.
Three people living at the three-storey semi-detached home in Edgbaston Road were accounted for and a number of nearby residents were taken into temporary accommodation overnight.
A West Midlands Police spokeswoman said: “There have been no reports of injuries and it is still the case that no-one was believed to be in the building.”
The house’s windows were blown across the residential street, which remained closed throughout the night.
Steve Wheaton, head of specialist operations at West Midlands Ambulance Service, said: “We deployed members of our urban search and rescue team to the incident in case they were required to go inside the property to search for victims. Thankfully they were not required.”
