Gas explosion reported in Hammersmith, London

August 13, 2009 Wikinews has learned that an explosion was heard in the Riverside Gardens area of Hammersmith, London, England at around 11:15 a.m. local time.

According to reports, an apartment on Macbeth Street exploded due to a gas leak. An official with the gas company was reporting to the scene after a neighbor called about a gas leak. When the official arrived, the apartment exploded. No major injuries were reported, but at least five people on scene at the time of the explosion were treated for symptoms of shock. No one was inside the apartment. At the time, nearly 100 residents were evacuated from the area.

"The gas board were called by the neighbour to a smell of gas in the road. The engineer was directly in front, but luckily he had gone into his van to get his detection equipment when the flat exploded," said Mark McHenry, the senior official with the fire department.

A video had shown smoke and dust rising from an apartment block, with black smoke from a fire several minutes later. At approximately 12:00 p.m., no more smoke was seen rising from the area.

Nearly a whole block of apartments were severely damaged in the blast. One witness told BBC that "when you looked down Macbeth Street you could see bits of buildings, glass, wood, curtains, strewn all over the street."

Authorities believe a gas main had been punctured causing the leak, but an investigation is ongoing.