Explosion on Dulwich Road, Kingstanding

The incident, believed to be a gas explosion, has completely destroyed one property and significantly damaged three adjoining properties.

One man was rescued prior to the arrival of the fire service and was taken into the care of West Midlands Ambulance, and then to Queen Elizabeth Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Four other people have been treated at the scene for minor injuries.

We have evacuated the affected and surrounding properties with our colleagues from West Midlands Police. Our search and rescue dog and handler have been mobilised to the scene and an additional search and rescue dog from Lancashire has been requested and is also en route to assist us.

Birmingham City Council are standing by to assist residents who may need rehousing. A structural engineer has also been requested.

We continue to ask the public to avoid the area and follow the instructions of on-scene emergency service officers

Statement from West Midlands Ambulance – https://wmas.nhs.uk/2022/06/26/house-explosion-in-kingstanding/

Statement from West Midlands Police –
https://west-midlands.police.uk/news/house-explosion-kingstanding-birmingham

Good progress is being made by crews at the scene.

We’ve scaled down the number of crews we have in attendance, but expect to remain at the scene well into Monday 27 June.

A drone has been used to identify any hot spots.

Further investigations by our Fire Investigation teams and other agencies will commence during daylight hours.

We’re saddened to confirm that a woman has been found dead at the scene of the explosion.

The man who was taken to hospital informed us there may have been another person in the property where the explosion happened.

The woman’s body was recovered overnight.

Our thoughts and sympathies are with everyone affected.

We would like to thank members of the local community for their continued support, understanding and patience.

Twenty-one residents needed to leave their homes as a result of the incident. The city council arranged hotel accommodation for some, while others went to stay with relatives. Some have now started to return.

The extent of the damage to the property means that the investigation is likely to take some time.

Electricity has now been restored to some of the local properties left without power overnight.

Latest statement from West Midlands Ambulance Service: https://wmas.nhs.uk/2022/06/27/kingstanding-explosion-update/

A total of six properties were directly affected by the explosion.

Investigations to establish the precise cause could take a number of days.

The area has now been made safe. We are working to reduce the size of the area currently cordoned off.

Again, we would like to thank members of the local community for their understanding and patience.

A number have been escorted to their homes, to collect personal items.

Warren Farm Primary School, which is nearby, was closed today (27 June) because of damage to its windows and its proximity to the affected properties.

Our thoughts and sympathies remain with everyone affected by the incident.

We’re grateful to members of the local community for their ongoing support and understanding while our work at the scene continues.

Investigators from West Midlands Fire Service are working closely with West Midlands Police and gas specialists to try to establish why the explosion happened.

Members of our Technical Rescue Unit continue to monitor the stability of neighbouring structures, to ensure that the work can be carried out safely.

They will be carefully excavating areas in the remains of the house, so parts of its gas supply can be accessed and examined.

This work needs to be carried out safely, slowly and methodically. As a result, we expect to remain at the scene throughout today (Tues 28 June).

A 100-metre cordon is still in place and a section of Dulwich Road closed.

Some residents have been able to return to their homes within the cordon. However, this has not been possible at eight properties which were either damaged by the explosion or are still without gas.

Today’s work at the scene is likely to finish at around 4pm.

Investigations up to the property’s gas meter (‘supply side’) are now complete.

Tomorrow afternoon (Wed 29 June), it is likely that demolition work will be needed at the scene, following which the next stage of investigations can be planned.

Demolition has begun at the Dulwich Road site, with the area where the explosion occurred made safe to continue ongoing multi-agency investigations. We, with our partners and demolition workers, will remain on site for some time to safely continue our work. Investigations to establish the precise cause could take a number of days.

Our thoughts remain with the family of the deceased, the man taken to hospital and the families in the Kingstanding community whose lives have been permanently changed. We thank them for their patience and understanding in what is an extremely difficult time, as well as the efforts of our partner agencies in what remains a difficult incident.

Update from West Midlands Fire Service, West Midlands Police and The Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

We would like to take this opportunity to again extend our sympathies to everyone affected by Sunday night’s events in which, tragically, a woman lost her life.

The man who was rescued remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital.

Extensive investigations at the scene of the explosion are now complete.

Demolition work yesterday afternoon (28 June) enabled investigators to safely access and test sections of the property’s internal gas piping.

They have concluded that the explosion was most likely caused by the accidental and inadvertent ignition of a large escape of gas from a joint in the pipework.

West Midlands Police’s own work continues, as officers work to formally identify the woman found dead at the scene and gather evidence for HM Coroner. Police family liaison officers continue to support those most directly affected.

Whilst these enquiries continue The Health and Safety Executive will continue to make enquiries as to whether any work-related activities contributed towards the incident.

We are extremely grateful to the families involved, and to the local community, for their understanding and patience throughout the initial emergency response and the subsequent investigation.

The community has been fantastic in the aftermath of this tragedy, offering support and shelter to those affected, and we would like to thank everyone involved in that effort.