birmingham house explosion
© @Bhcmolly/TwitterNadeem BadshahPolice said residents are being evacuated and people have been urged to avoid the area.
A man was in a critical condition after being hauled from his burning home by neighbours after an explosion destroyed the property and damaged several others in a Birmingham street.

The man was in the property at the time of the blast and was helped out by people at the scene, the West Midlands ambulance service said. Four other people were assessed by ambulance crews for minor conditions and were not taken to hospital, the service said.

West Midlands police said one house had been destroyed and other properties significantly affected, while cars were also damaged after the incident in the Kingstanding area.

There were reports that the blast could be heard two miles away.

West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) said people at the scene rescued a man from the destroyed house but he had "very significant injuries" and was taken to hospital.

Residents described how they clambered past flaming debris, through dust and rubble, shortly after the blast, and pulled an injured man alive from the ruins of the house.

One man, who declined to give his name, said: "Everyone was watching, the house was on fire, nobody was going in, so we could see a way in - so we went in the house, me and about a dozen others.

"There was a guy in the back [of the house], we could hear the guy screaming, but he was trapped up against the fridge in the kitchen.

"The dust from the loft insulation was burning around us. We managed to get to him, and pull him out - I still have his blood on my jeans. We got him out, he ended up coming out on a mattress. But he was saying there was a woman in the house."

A spokesperson for the ambulance service said: "A man was helped from the property by people at the scene but had suffered very serious injuries.

"After assessment and treatment at the scene, he was taken on blue lights to the major trauma centre at Queen Elizabeth hospital Birmingham. His condition on arrival at hospital was described as life-threatening."

All emergency services, including six fire crews, and utility companies were at the scene on Dulwich Road after police were called at 8.38pm.

The cause of the explosion has yet to be established.

house explosion
© West Midlands Fire Service/PAAn aerial photograph of the wrecked house.
Police said residents are being evacuated and people have been urged to avoid the area. They thanked those who had "helped shocked and injured neighbours".

Footage on social media showed flames, damage and debris from a terraced redbrick house. Aerial shots shared on Twitter showed flames billowing into the sky.

West Midlands police said earlier: "There are reports of casualties but the number and severity of their injuries is unknown at this time. Those evacuated will be told where to meet.

"People in the area must immediately follow the instructions of first responders. Dulwich Road and surrounding roads are closed and will be for a very long time. Please help us by avoiding the area."

Rick Payne, a city councillor for the ward, heard a "massive explosion" while watching television and walked across to Dulwich Road to see what had happened.

He told PA Media: "The police are just saying that there's quite a lot of houses damaged as a result - probably up to five or six houses. The house itself, where the explosion occurred, has physically been destroyed. Houses either side have, partially. Then the houses further along the street have been damaged collaterally from the blast."

Payne added he spoke to a council colleague in Erdington, two miles away, who "said it could be heard quite clearly".

The service added that three ambulances, five paramedics, a trauma doctor and critical care paramedic and a hazardous area response team were among those who had been sent to the scene.

West Midlands fire service said: "At 8.38pm fire crews responded to multiple reports of an explosion on Dulwich Lane, Kingstanding. The explosion, the cause of which is unknown at this time, has destroyed one property and caused damage to other properties and vehicles nearby.

"We are working hard with colleagues from West Midlands police, West Midlands ambulance, Cadent Gas and National Grid to manage this incident."

A spokesperson from Cadent Gas said its personnel were at the site.

"Our teams are on-site at the incident in Kingstanding, assisting the multi-agency response as the gas emergency service for the West Midlands" they said.

"It is too early to speculate on the cause. Our thoughts are with everyone impacted."