A man was seriously injured yesterday in an explosion which blew the roof and some external walls off a house in Co Wexford.
Garda forensic experts were attempting to establish the cause of the blast on the site of a disused petrol station at Campile, near New Ross, at about 8 a.m.
The injured man, Mr Kevin Donoghue, aged 38, was burning rubbish at his former family home when the explosion occurred, scattering debris for up to 200 yards into an adjoining field. Three men who were building a new house for Mr Donoghue just a few yards from the site of the blast escaped injury.
Garda Supt Tom Saunderson, of New Ross, described the explosion as "ferocious". The cause had yet to be established, but there was a disused petrol storage tank on the site. The petrol station closed five or six years ago.
"The tank was emptied but there may have been a build-up of fumes which would be a likely cause," he said. Garda forensic experts travelled from Dublin yesterday to examine the scene at Dunmain, Campile, about halfway between New Ross and Fethard-on-Sea.
The Health and Safety Authority was notified and its inspectors were also due to visit the site.
Mr Donoghue suffered severe facial injuries and burns. He was taken to Waterford Regional Hospital where his condition was described as stable. He is married and is understood to have one child.
