"I thought I was dead": Cornish paramedic describes devastating explosion at parents' home
Darren Cornish was visiting his mum and dad's house in Bude when the walls blew out
Last updated 22nd Jan 2021
A Cornish paramedic whose parents' home was gutted by an explosion has told Pirate FM he thought he was dead.
Darren Cornish was visiting the house in Bude on Wednesday evening 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
With the help of a neighbour, Darren managed to carry his parents over the rubble and out of the house to safety.
Remarkably, although the family were taken to hospital and his mum suffered minor burns, Darren, his mum and his dad were not seriously injured.
Darren said: "Had we of sat there, we could have all gone to sleep and never woken up. Someone could have found us the next day".
He added: "We're still in a bit of a state of shock. We can't quite believe it but mum and dad have got somewhere to go which we're thankful for and we'll just have to see what happens in the future. We'll just have to take each day but for the moment, we're just happy to be alive and here and with the rest of our family".
Darren Cornish
Friends and family have started up a crowdfunding page to help the couple who are said to have lost everything in the blast. You can make a donation here.