CLAIRE CARTER
Nottingham Evening Post

Mother-of-four Sandra Shaw, 42, and her partner, named locally as Alex Kirk, are in specialist burns units with life-threatening injuries after an explosion at the house in Stockhill Lane, Basford, on Sunday night.

A crew from Stockhill fire station, almost directly opposite the end-terrace property, were just seconds away from being caught in the blast as they left on their way to another call.

"As the crew turned right this explosion occurred and suddenly there was debris across the road," said Notts Fire and Rescue Service group manager Steve Hollis.

"If they had been 15 seconds earlier they would have been caught in the blast and probably injured."

Ms Shaw, who is also a grandmother, lost part of a leg and arm and suffered eye injuries. She was being treated at a Birmingham hospital yesterday. Both she and Mr Kirk were said to be in a critical condition.

Her eldest daughter, Natasha, 23, said: "My mum is a strong person. I know she will pull through."

Natasha said her mother's partner, who is understood to have lost part of a leg and suffered injuries to his eyes, was transferred from the Queen's Medical Centre to Nottingham City Hospital yesterday.

Ms Shaw's youngest daughters, Leona, 13, and Alex, 10, were believed to have been in the house at the time and were blown out into the back garden by the force of the explosion.

Mr Hollis said the crew faced a tough decision whether to risk their lives to rescue anyone trapped inside or wait for structural engineers to see if the building was safe for them to enter.

He added: "The front window of the house was blown out and there was dust and debris all over the place. Do they stand back or do they attempt to rescue people?"

Mr Hollis said the six firefighters went into the building and up the stairs, discovering the whole back bedroom wall and floor had been blown out and two people were lying in rubble on the ground floor.

"The floors and ceilings were just hanging," he added.

"Everything around them was moving and falling but they knew they had to get those two people out. Those six individuals were incredibly courageous. Maybe their actions contributed to saving people's lives."

Mr Hollis said all six firefighters have been having counselling since the incident.

Families evacuated from four neighbouring properties after the explosion and blaze were still unable to return to their homes yesterday.

The site was still deemed unsafe and scaffolding was being put up. Fire investigators were expected to be able to go into the property today to try to determine the cause of the blast. Crime scene investigators searched land yesterday and the cordon was reduced to just the wrecked house and the neighbouring properties.

The property is owned by Nottingham City Homes. A spokesperson confirmed a new boiler was installed six weeks ago but added: "While the investigating team have not been able to enter the property, we have been able to view the boiler and can confirm the installation appears to be fully intact."

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June 23, 2010