Engineer checked 'smell of gas' before explosion
Donna TorresA utility company has confirmed an engineer was sent to investigate a smell of gas at a property in Newton Longville, just hours before a nearby bungalow was destroyed in a suspected gas explosion.
Witnesses in the village, near Milton Keynes, said Sunday morning's blast, which left a man injured, sounded like "a bomb just dropped in the village".
Gas distribution firm SGN said an engineer arrived within 16 minutes after it received a call from a member of public at just after midnight on Sunday.
SGN said the engineer undertook a site survey, taking readings around the bungalow and also at neighbouring properties.
An SGN spokesperson said: "The cause of this terrible incident is still under investigation."
Several residents have said they had been concerned before the explosion, which happened at 09:45, destroyed the bungalow.
Nicola Haseler/BBCSadie Torres, 22, who had been visiting her parents in the village, said "the scary thing" was "you could smell gas".
Torres and her parents Donna, 53, and father Dean, 51, "ran to the window and saw all the smoke and debris flying".
She saw a "severely burned man" being pulled from the house by a person she believed was an off-duty police officer.
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An off-duty nurse who helped the elderly man told her "all he did was light a cigarette in the morning and it all went up".
The window frame from the man's house flew across the road into a neighbour's living room, shattering the front window, said Torres.
"Car roofs were caved in on the street... but it could have been so much worse - there could have been children playing out in the street".
The injured man was taken to hospital.
"We are not too sure who he is but he has lost his whole house," said Torres.
"He had a dog which escaped and was taken to the vets and is now being looked after by someone in the village."
Residents offered support to villagers affected, with the local pub, The Crooked Billet, becoming a hub for people who had been forced from their homes.
Chair of Newton Longville Parish Council, Mike Chapman, said people were being housed in hotels or with family.
He said: "Our great concern is for our neighbour who is in hospital and we wish him a full recovery."
Donna TorresA spokesperson for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which is leading the investigation, said it was "working with the police and fire services".
SGN said Thames Valley Police had put an exclusion zone in place and it was working with the local authorities to support the investigation.
Peter Strachan, Buckinghamshire Council's deputy leader, said: "Council teams have been on site since the incident, helping to coordinate support for affected residents, including emergency accommodation where needed, and assisting the wider response.
"A 50-metre (160-ft) cordon has been put in place around the site, affecting 24 properties."
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