Police have urged residents to stay away from a Middlesbrough housing estate after a home was destroyed in an explosion this afternoon.
Emergency services descended upon Kirkland Walk in Middlesbrough just before 1pm this afternoon (June 19) following the explosion which decimated the home.
Overhead pictures taken show the devastating aftermath the explosion has left as debris lays around the home and on the nearby road.
Police said in an earlier statement: "Cleveland Police are at the scene of an incident in Kirkland Walk, Middlesbrough. Officers responded to reports of a house explosion at around 12.40pm today.
"Members of the public are urged to avoid the area while Cleveland Police, Cleveland Fire Brigade and North East Ambulance Service work together at the scene.
"We thank local residents for their patience as we continue to deal with this incident."
Following the incident, residents have described both their heroic actions and horror at the ordeal as they await to be let back into their homes.
Kaayfee Hamaad, 48, from Berwick Hill was one of the first people at the scene at Kirkland Walk in Middlesbrough after the incident.
Kaayfee has now described how a cry for help prompted him to rush into the smoking home and rescue a man who was inside.
He told The Northern Echo: "I was driving to go to work and everyone was running. I was packing the van and saw the fire so I ran too.
"People were telling me not to go closer but I heard someone shouting for help. I ran inside, put a man on my shoulder and took him out.
Follow our live blog on the explosion here:
"All of his skin and face was burnt. Everything was smoking - it was scary."
Nicola Hill, 46, and her daughter Rebekah Ashcroft, 20, live four doors down from the home and were the ones who called emergency services.
Nicola said: "The whole house shook you heard the bang and every window and door in the house shook. I saw the front of his house all over the floor at the front then there was a fire, but it was only starting to ignite where the loft would be at the time."
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