UPDATE WITH PICS: Sandy Lane residents tell of shock after late-night evacuation following gas cylinder blaze

Residents have spoke of their shock after almost 50 homes were evacuated in Worksop following a huge blaze involving cylinders which 'exploded' and caused 'severe damage' to four garages and a car.
Sandy Lane fire, Worksop.Sandy Lane fire, Worksop.
Sandy Lane fire, Worksop.

Families on Sandy Lane and Grafton Street were forced to leave their properties for up to three hours as the area was cordoned off and people were told to close their windows and doors.

An investigation has been launched after dozens of firefighters from across the county tackled the blaze into the early hours of yesterday morning, which involved three gas cylinders, one of which exploded and caused serious damage to a car.

Resident Patricia Roscoe, aged 77, of Sandy Lane, said: “I heard the explosion. It sounded like someone had chucked something through a bedroom window and thudded on to concrete.

Sandy Lane fire, Worksop.Sandy Lane fire, Worksop.
Sandy Lane fire, Worksop.

“I was just ready to go to bed when I saw the blue lights and wondered what was going off.”

Fellow resident on Sandy Lane, Lukasz Macidszczyk, 33, said: “You do not expect something like this to happen near your house. It is very unusual.”

Two crews from Worksop and one from Edwinstowe, Retford, Mansfield, Ashfield, with two station managers, attended the scene just after 11pm on Wednesday.

The blaze involved two butane cylinders, one of which exploded and one propane cylinder.

Sandy Lane fire, Worksop.Sandy Lane fire, Worksop.
Sandy Lane fire, Worksop.

David Wells, 56, said: “The Grafton pub opened and offered everyone tea and coffee. They were really good.”

A total of 46 properties were evacuated.

Fire chiefs used six breathing apparatus, two monitors, one jet and two hose reels.

Station manager and incident commander, Kev Cleary, said: “Multiple crews were called just after 11pm last night to a fire in four residential garages on Sandy Lane in Worksop, which contained a number of cylinders and a car.

Sandy Lane fire, Worksop.Sandy Lane fire, Worksop.
Sandy Lane fire, Worksop.

“To ensure the safety of everyone in the local area, a number of properties were evacuated, and firefighters worked swiftly and efficiently to deal with the fire as soon as possible to minimise the disruption to the local community.

“Crews at the scene worked with a number of partner agencies including Nottinghamshire Police, East Midlands Ambulance Service, the Environment Agency and the county council’s emergency planning team and we would like to thank those in the area for their cooperation.”

A Nottinghamshire Police spokesman said: “An investigation has been launched into the cause of the fire. No arrests have been made.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact 101, quoting incident number 937 of 2 November 2016.

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