Sunderland explosion: Blast decimates house leaving woman in 'serious but stable condition'
Fire crews found the woman with serious burns in the rubble of the semi-detached house after the blast
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Your support makes all the difference.A woman has been seriously injured after an explosion destroyed a house in Sunderland.
Fire crews pulled the woman from the rubble after the blast shook a street in the Ryhope area of the city at 8.50am on Friday.
She was found badly burned and rushed to hospital where she was in a "serious but stable condition", North East Ambulance Service said.
Pictures showed an entire semi-detached home decimated by the blast, with a second house badly damaged and debris strewn across the street.
The explosion in Rosslyn Avenue could be heard more than a mile away, according to witnesses.
Northumbria Police officers cordoned off the road 30m from the scene of the blast and told people to avoid the area as emergency services work to make the area safe.
There were initially fears someone else may have been trapped in the rubble but the force later said everyone had been accounted and a specialist search team had combed through the debris.
Fire crews, paramedics and two air ambulances were also sent to the street along with engineers from Northern Gas Networks, which promised to investigate "as a matter of urgency".
Some neighbours reported a strong smell of gas following the blast.
Shocked residents gathered at the edge of the cordon to take in the full extent of the damage.
Tracey Pounder, 51, said: "I heard an almighty bang. I went upstairs and you could see dust rising.
"Half of the semi has gone and next door is wrecked.
"I came down to see what was happening and it is a complete shock."
Sean Hughes, 40, heard the explosion more than a mile away.
He said: "I saw the window move and the house shook."
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said it sent five engines, "a number of officers, and specialist units" to the scene of the explosion.
Firefighter Bill Forster said: "The walls of the building have collapsed and the upper sections of the building have come down and the lady was trapped beneath that rubble."
North East Ambulance Service sent four hazardous area response teams and two paramedic crews.
A spokeswoman said: "Working with our emergency services colleagues we rescued and treated one patient, suffering burns who was in a serious but stable condition.
"We have taken the casualty to the Newcastle Royal Infirmary by paramedic ambulance with the Great North Air Ambulance doctor on board."
The nearby Ryhope Community Centre was opened for residents evacuated from the street.
Northern Gas said in a statement: “Emergency engineers from Northern Gas Networks have attended the scene of an incident on Rosslyn Avenue in Ryhope.
“We are working alongside the emergency services, and at this stage, the cause of the incident is not yet known. However, we will be investigating as a matter of urgency."
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