Police have launched a probe into a “theft” at a Braford house following a catastrophic blast that demolished a property on Saturday evening.
The incident on Southfield Lane prompted a massive deployment of firefighters, police officers and paramedics who worked to search through the wreckage and assist victims.
West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service responded to what they described as a “house explosion with no fire”.
The devastating incident is suspected to have resulted from a gas leak.
Police are now searching for a 28-year-old man, Jacob Ryan, on suspicion of theft linked to the property.
Another man has already been arrested.
Rescue teams searched for survivors amongst the destruction that completely levelled the residence.
Authorities confirmed at least two people sustained injuries and were receiving treatment from paramedics at the scene.
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The house was completely destroyed in the suspected gas explosion
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Fire service officials stated that additional victims remained missing, with their whereabouts unknown following the blast.
Specialist teams, including technical rescue personnel trained for building collapses and urban search and rescue dogs, were deployed to conduct thorough searches of the devastated property.
These units specialise in navigating unstable structures and locating survivors in challenging conditions.
The explosion’s force completely destroyed the home.
The entire road was cordoned off as emergency crews established a perimeter around the destroyed property
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Officials have yet to determine the exact number of people affected by the incident as search efforts continued through Saturday night.
Residents described an overwhelming emergency response that transformed the normally quiet street into a scene of intense activity.
One witness reported: “All of Southfield Lane is full of fire and ambulances now, it’s really bad.”
The scale of the operation became apparent as approximately 25 fire engines were spotted converging on the location, according to another observer.
Southfield Lane is a residential area
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Personnel wearing hazardous materials protective equipment were observed working at the blast site.
The massive deployment included numerous police vehicles and ambulances that witnesses saw racing towards the incident.
The entire road was cordoned off as emergency crews established a perimeter around the destroyed property.
The Bradford incident follows several devastating residential explosions across England in recent months.
A property in Alvaston, Derby, was destroyed in June when a suspected gas blast sent “earthquake-like” tremors through Eden Street, with security cameras capturing debris launching into the air.
Another dramatic incident occurred in December when an explosion obliterated a terraced property in Ilford, east London, requiring approximately 60 firefighters and eight fire engines