County Durham house explosion
One man rushed to hospital with serious injuries.
Last updated 24th Jun 2024
A man has been left seriously injured after an explosion at a propery in County Durham.
The incident happened in the early hours this morning (Mon 24th June) on Coronation Terrace in Willington.
Emergency services have the area cordonoed off as they work the scene.
Statement from Durham Police:
"Officers responded to reports of a house explosion at around 1.30am today (June 24) in Coronation Terrace, Willington.
A man sustained serious injuries during the incident and has been taken to hospital by paramedics for treatment.
A cordon has been put in place around the property while emergency services work at the scene.
Nearby residents have been evacuated as a precaution and people are advised to avoid the area."
Hits Radio News Senior Reporter Karen Liu is at the scene for us:
Statement from the North East Ambulance Service:
"We were called to a house explosion in Coronation Terrace, Willington, shortly after 1.30am this morning (24 June).
We dispatched one ambulance crew, a duty officer and four crews from our Hazardous Area Response Team. We also requested support from Great North Air Ambulance Service.
One patient has been taken to the RVI for further treatment."
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue service remain on the scene.
Chris Williams, Group Manager at CDDFRS said:
“Our crews remain at the scene of an explosion in Willington, Crook.
At 1.28am we received a call reporting an explosion at a residential property on Coronation Terrace in Willington.
The first crew were at the scene within minutes, with crews deployed from Durham, Bishop Auckland and Crook, along with the Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP) from Durham.
Firefighters assisted in the rescue of one man, who was attended to at the scene by police officers and North East Ambulance Service (NEAS), before being taken to hospital.
Nobody else has been reported to be injured.
Some residents in the immediate vicinity were evacuated as a precaution.
Our crews will remain in the area today alongside colleagues from Durham Constabulary, Durham County Council and Northen Gas Networks to assess the site and ensure it is structurally safe.
We know this will be concerning for local residents and if you live in the area please listen to the advice and instruction of the emergency services.
An investigation will take place into the incident in due course.”