Appeal for trades people to help rebuild home after explosion in Bude
The house was completely gutted in the blast
Last updated 27th Jan 2021
An appeal has launched to help a family from Bude rebuild their house after it was completely destroyed by an explosion.
Luckily Demelza Snell's parents and brother all escaped with only minor injuries after the incident in Traly Close on Wednesday 20th January.
But the house was completely gutted by the blast.
Now a Facebook page has been created where local trades people are offering to help with the work.
It has been named 'Help the Cornish's Bude DIY SOS' and a whole team of people have already offered to support the rebuild.
"It's just completely overwhelming"
Demelza tells us the local community has been amazing.
"It's overwhelming, the kindness and support, and it's cheered mum and dad up no end, it's brought their spirits up to know that the community has just been amazing, Bude is an amazing place.
"We've had a local bakery saying we'll keep the guys fed while they're on site, people who are not tradesmen but saying they are available, we've had offers of support from local building trades, some have said they will foot the bill for materials, it's just completely overwhelming."
Demelza Snell
What happened?
Paramedic Darren Cornish, Demelza's brother, had been visiting his parents at their house when he felt himself falling asleep and started to smell gas.
He and his mum went into the kitchen to check everything was OK but Darren says when she opened the oven door, there was a huge bang and the walls blew out.
"The next thing I know there's water running everywhere, gas - I could hear it hissing, mum's making like a crying noise, it's dark and I was just disorientated.
"The front wall, the back wall, the side wall - everything had gone; it had just blown out. But we were left unscathed which was like a miracle. I thought I was dead but then I felt the water on my face and I realised I could hear".
Darren Cornish
Read more:
Campaign to help Bude family after home is destroyed by an explosion
"I thought I was dead": Cornish paramedic describes devastating explosion at parents' home
Three people taken to hospital with minor injuries after house explosion in Bude
Explosion at house in north Cornwall