Evacuations as residents report garden 'explosion'

A number of properties on a York street were evacuated after residents reported an "explosion" in a nearby garden.

Police and the fire service were called to Crossfield Crescent in Fulford at about 12:00 BST on Wednesday following reports of a fire.

Lewis Abley, 35, who lives on the street, said he climbed onto his garage roof to see what was going on after hearing a loud bang while eating lunch, and he spotted heat radiating from his neighbour's garden, prompting him to jump over the fence to help.

Abley said a flame about 5-7ft (1.5-2m) long was coming from a large gas canister and "the heat that was coming off it was just ridiculous".

"The conifers, the shed and a wood pile were all within the radius of this thing," Abley said.

The landscape gardener said a man appeared to have suffered burns in the incident and his clothes were scorched.

Abley said a group of residents hosed down the garden, making sure everything was wet to stop the fire from spreading while waiting for emergency services.

North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service (NYFRS) said that at the height of the incident, several properties had been "evacuated as a precaution" and a safety cordon had been set up due to the reports of cylinders being involved.

In an update later on Wednesday, an NYFRS spokesperson said affected residents were "being allowed to re-enter their homes with safety precautions in place".

"Crews have been cooling the cylinder which was in the garden of a property. They will remain at the scene for some time to carry out monitoring," they added.

North Yorkshire Police said: "We are currently supporting our colleagues from NYFRS in response to this incident in Fulford.

"Please follow their advice and avoid the area where possible."

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