A woman was injured today when an apparent gas explosion wrecked her home. The blast happened as a cooker was lit in the detached bungalow at Island View Lane, in Lurgan, Co Armagh, in Northern Ireland.
It is believed four people were in the house at the time. One woman was taken to hospital for treatment. Her condition was not known.
Fire crews, police and ambulance units were quickly on the scene of the incident which left the property facing demolition.
Northern Ireland Fire Brigade Divisional Officer Alan Fulford said: "The house is practically wrecked. It is totally blown away, one half, and the other half has associated damage.
"It's probably going to have to be pulled down." A victim support unit was assigned to the family to find them alternative accommodation.
The cause of the blast appeared to be an external bottled gas supply piped into the cooker.
"It looks like it was a gas leak that ignited," said Mr Fulford. "The cooker was just turned on when the explosion occurred. It's the biggest blast of its type I have seen.
"Thankfully this was a detached bungalow in the countryside and the damage was only to the premises itself."