A man has suffered serious burn injuries after the two-storey house he is believed to have been inside was destroyed in a suspected gas explosion.
Dramatic pictures from the scene in the Ladywood area of Birmingham show the upper floor of the terraced home reduced to a smoking ruin.
Emergency services were called to reports of an explosion at the property, which is in the middle of a residential street, just after 12.10pm.
Two people, a man and a woman, are believed to have been inside the house at the time of the incident, the ambulance service said.
The man suffered serious burn injuries and is being treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, while the woman was discharged by paramedics at the scene.
West Midlands Police, who have evacuated a small number of homes nearby, confirmed the man had suffered “serious” injuries.
A spokeswoman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: “Crews arrived to find a house that had collapsed following a suspected explosion. Other neighbouring properties had also been damaged.
“One woman, who was believed to have been in the property at the time of the explosion had managed to get out of the building herself despite the damage. She was assessed by ambulance staff and discharged at the scene.
“A second patient, a man, who was also believed to have been in the property at the time of the incident had made his own way to City Hospital. The aircrew and critical care paramedic attended the hospital, where the man was being treated for serious burn injuries.
“Due to his condition the man was conveyed, via land ambulance, to the major trauma centre at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. The trauma doctor travelled on board the ambulance continuing to provide emergency care whilst en route.
“The Hazardous Area Response Team remain on scene at the incident.”
An ambulance, the Hazardous Area Response Team, a paramedic support officer, a critical care paramedic in a rapid response vehicle and the Midlands Air Ambulance attended the scene.
West Midlands Police said: “We were called to Wiggin Street in Edgbaston just after 12.20pm following reports of an explosion at a house.
“A man has been taken to hospital with serious injuries. West Midlands Fire Service are at the scene and will investigate what happened.
“A small number of homes close to the scene have been evacuated as a precaution.”
A spokesman for West Midlands Fire Service said: “We got the call at 12.10 today to Wiggin Street in Ladywood.
“We sent four fire engines and a hydraulic platform. It is a suspected gas explosion at a two-storey mid-terrace house.”
The fire brigade said a structural engineer from Birmingham City Council was due to assess the damage.
