A MASSIVE explosion and a fire in a block of flats by boat moorings at Oxford on the Thames scorched boats that had been lifted out onto the nearby bank and caused consternation to owners of those moored nearby.
People injured
The explosion, late afternoon on Monday in the Osney area of Oxford, devastated some of the flats with people injured in the blast and resulting fire.
Within minutes the emergency services were on hand with a number of fire crews, ambulances and police.
Moored boats escaped damage
The boats moored in the marina, though covered in fire debris and smoke, escaped damage, though those on the hard standing by the side of the flats were badly scorched.
It all happened, residents tell, with an 'almighty bang' followed by fire, with one resident telling it was 'like a bomb going off'.
Major damage
The flats were damaged, with brick walls caving-in, ceilings collapsing and other major damage.
The explosion was first understood to have been the explosion of a build-up of gas, with gas engineers investigating, but a statement from SGN, the distribution company, reports that there was no gas main to the property where the explosion occurred.