Scenes of utter devastation after 'one of the most difficult days' a Bury neighbourhood has ever seen

Shortly after 11am, the quietness of a street in Bury was shattered after a house suddenly exploded. The morning quickly spiralled into utter devastation, one of the 'most difficult days' the neighbourhood has ever seen, as a mid-terraced property erupted into a wall of flames and began crumbling to the ground.

Emergency services raced to the scene of the major blast on Nelson Street, Fishpool, with terrified residents told to flee and a huge cordon erected in the area. The front of the house involved was obliterated, its windows were blown out and most of the roof had collapsed.

But in the face of unthinkable tragedy and with a neighbourhood stricken with fear, there still remained a 'strong sense of community, unity and resilience' said local councillor Tamoor Tariq. He claimed later in the evening that three homes could now have to be demolished.

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Amid the disastrous scenes, heroic locals reportedly tried to help and rescue a seriously injured woman from the burning house. Witnesses reported seeing a group of men even venture into the backyard of the house hit by the blast amid the major rescue mission, with fire crews and police also called out to the scene as the house slowly crumbled.

A woman, aged in her 70s, was rushed to hospital with serious injuries from the scene. Neighbouring homes were also evacuated and a 200 metre cordon put in place. Amid the chaos, a local school was also closed with children sent home for the rest of the day.

Dramatic pictures and videos showed how a wall of flames engulfed the house as it was quickly set ablaze, with thick plumes of smoke billowing from the property.