Woman looks on in horror as she sees her home EXPLODE from her office window just miles away
The detached house in Otterton in Devon was completely destroyed by a 'non-suspicious gas explosion' and the fire that followed on Monday morning.
Miraculously, no one was inside the property at the time - but the huge bang was witnessed by the homeowner herself from her local business in town, who said she did not realise at the time that it came from her home.
Wendy and John Marsh run care homes in the area. Their family home, bought for £360,000 in 2004, was just miles from their businesses when it was destroyed yesterday by the explosion.
Locals reported seeing houses 'shaking' and the explosion was heard throughout the village, but thankfully no injuries were reported.
One Otterton resident, Adrian Livings, described the explosion to the Sidmouth Herald as the loudest he had ever heard.
'The army carry out manoeuvres close by, so I'm used to hearing explosions but I've never heard anything sound so loud - you could feel it in the middle of your gut. I thought it might have been a plane crash.
'Everybody walked out into the street afterwards and we were all scratching our heads trying to figure out what had happened.
'Within minutes pieces of insulation from the house were landing on the road like snowflakes.'
Five crews from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service attended after the explosion at 11.30am and found the property 'well alight'.
The road from Otterton Village to Ladram Bay was closed for most of the day for public safety.
One horse rider was nearly thrown off after she witnessed the explosion, DevonLive reported.
Dan Lawrence, Wales and West Utilities Gas Emergency Service Manager for Devon, said there were actually no gas mains networks in the area.
He told DevonLive: 'We were called to reports of an explosion at a property in the Ladram Road area of Otterton this morning and immediately sent a team of engineers to attend.
'On arrival, we found that there had been severe structural damage to the property and the emergency services were in control of the scene.
'In our role as the gas emergency service, we are supporting the police and the fire brigade as they work to make the area safe and investigate the cause of the explosion.
'However, there is no gas mains network in the area, and so the explosion is not related to natural gas.
'We will continue to support the emergency services who remain in control at the scene.'
Police thanked the local community, councillors and staff at Ladram Bay Holiday Park for their help and support while they dealt with the emergency.
Parish council chairman Ian Simpson described the situation as 'very, very serious' and said locals were initially panicking.
He said: 'It was a substantial blast, people reported that houses down through the village were shaken.
'Apparently, there was insulation flying through the air and landing in people's gardens.
'The emergency services were very concerned if any of that was on fire - we've got loads of thatched cottages in the village, it could have been catastrophic.'
Police Inspector Mat Helm said the homeowners run a business locally and the female owner witnessed the explosion from her work window.
An Exmouth Police spokesperson said: 'Unfortunately a family lost their home in Otterton.
'The cause appears to be a non-suspicious gas explosion at this time and between that and the subsequent fire, it has completely destroyed the home.
'Ultimately no person nor pet was injured in this instance and that is a massive blessing. However, I would highlight that for the family this is an awful thing so please don't go near the property out of respect for them - and its highly dangerous.'
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