Willesborough house explosion: Residents trapped in blaze

An explosion left people trapped in a house and sparked a search for casualties on a residential street.

The front of a house in Mill View, Willesborough, Kent, was reportedly totally destroyed in the blast, which started a fire on the street.

Fire crews are continuing to battle the blaze after they were called just before 08:00 BST, and police said they have rescued "a number of people".

Officers are "working to establish if anyone else is unaccounted for".

Chantel Weller, from Osborne Road, adjacent to the road where the explosion occurred, said: "We all felt our houses shake along this road. The whole house shook, and it felt like something had blown into the side of it.

"It wasn't very loud but it was a strange feeling.

"People said they thought it might be a gas explosion, and it looks like the houses have been evacuated

"The whole area is cordoned off."

People are being advised to avoid the area and keep windows and doors closed.

Four fire crews and South East Coast Ambulance Service are at the site, and gas engineers have also been called.

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