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Powerful: Properties surrounding the levelled house were left with their windows blown out, had smashed roofs and were covered in debris
Police declare major incident after suspected gas explosion at property in Haxby kills 63-year-old man
A 63-year-old man has died after a suspected gas explosion destroyed a house in Haxby, near York, police said.
Insp Steve Breen of North Yorkshire police said: "At this stage we believe it to be a gas explosion. We can't confirm that, but preliminary investigations with our partners suggest that is the case. There's no reason to believe it is anything else at this stage."
The victim was named locally as Paul Wilmott, and Breen said the man's next of kin had been informed and officers were supporting his family.
Emergency services were alerted to the incident at 7.30am on Friday and four fire crews and a hazardous area response team attended the scene, while firefighters carried out a search of what was left of the property.
The neighbouring houses - the nearest of which were evacuated - were severely damaged, with blown-out windows and fallen roofs.
The area was cordoned off and a centre was set up for those displaced by the incident at the nearby Haxby Memorial Hall.
Police said they were treating the incident as an accident and that there was no further threat to members of the public. "We don't believe there were any suspicious circumstances," said Breen.
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