Gas explosion leaves gaping hole in London block of flats

Dramatic photographs have revealed the aftermath of a gas explosion in east London.

Firefighters rescued a woman by ladder from the affected flat in a three-storey block in Hackney after the blast in the early hours of this morning. She was treated at the scene for minor injuries and taken to hospital by ambulance.

Hackney Council later confirmed that all other residents of the building, on Well Street, were well and with family or friends.

The explosion, which took out two side walls of the middle-floor flat, left a television, bed and bookshelves undisturbed and visible to passers by outside. It is believed to have been caused by a boiler malfunction.

Around 15 firefighters are understood to have attended the scene after the explosion was first reported shortly after 2.30am.

A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: “Firefighters responded to a suspected boiler explosion on Well Street in Hackney.

“A five-roomed flat on the first floor, in a block of three floors, was damaged by the explosion. The front and rear of the building was also damaged.

“The Brigade’s control officers took three calls reporting the incident, with the first received at 02.36am. The incident was under control by 04.05am.”

Experts recommend that households service their boilers each year. Cookers, fires and boilers left unchecked can cause leaks that can lead to fires and explosions.

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We sent a number of resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer, a medic in a fast response car and members of our hazardous area response team.

“Our first medics arrived on scene in four minutes. We treated a patient before taking them to hospital as a priority.”