Family admit it was a 'miracle' they survived after house suddenly blew up on New Year's Day

Michael McCormick, 52, his 45-year-old wife, Montse, and their son Mark, 19, were ‘seconds away’ from death when a series of massive blasts decimated their home in Whale Island Way, Stamshaw, just after midday.

The incident saw the residential road closed off as firefighters from six stations and a Hazardous Area Response Team, police and paramedics raced to the under siege location.

The family, who have been put in a nearby Travelodge, have been left struggling to come to terms with the incident after being left homeless and with ‘absolutely nothing’ after fleeing in their pyjamas having enjoyed a leisurely morning after New Year’s Eve.

But Michael told The News they are just glad to be alive and appreciative of all the support they have received following the suspected gas explosions that transformed much of their house into rubble.

Around £2,500 has been raised for them in one fundraiser alone.

‘We are all shook up and are not sleeping well,’ he said. ‘It’s only just starting to sink in what happened.

‘It’s very emotional and you think of “what if”. We are extremely lucky we survived - so many other things could have gone wrong.

‘We all got out and not long after we got out the whole place was ablaze.’

Quick-thinking Michael, who was downstairs playing on a Playstation, first realised something was not right after noticing a ‘fragrant smell’ while Montse and Mark were upstairs.

‘We were lazing around after New Year’s Eve when I noticed a weird smell that was not recognisable - a bit like a fragrance candle - that was getting stronger,’ Michael said.

‘Then all of a sudden I felt a thump in the middle of my back - it felt like someone had pushed me very hard.

‘I felt a hot wave come past me and the front window smashed with the TV ending up on the other side of the road - it was lucky no one was stood in the street.

‘I tried not to panic and shouted up to them to come downstairs...we had seconds to get out. We climbed out the front window because the door was bent in half.

‘My hair and beard were singed from the fire and I had a sprained ankle. We were very lucky to survive.’

Mark had been sleeping upstairs while Monste was getting ready for work when the commotion erupted - leaving them fleeing barefooted. ‘I woke up and instantly knew something was wrong,’ Mark said.

‘Something had fallen over and I remember shouting but I couldn’t hear myself because of the explosions and fire.

‘The wall blew up and was collapsing on me and there were flames rising up. My mum was in the doorway...we ran downstairs and got out through the window.

‘When we were outside we could see the fire spreading rapidly and more explosions. It’s a miracle we got out.’

The force of the explosions - up to nine blasts in total - left glass strewn across the road, a rear window thrown into the family’s next-door-but-one neighbour’s garden and a gun cabinet propelled half way down their garden.

Gas pipes in some neighbours’ homes had to be turned off and have since been condemned until they are repaired, the family said.

The McCormicks had to flee the house before having a chance to rescue their cat Vladimir, who they are not sure escaped the house.

‘We don’t know if our cat managed to get out and hide. We are still trying to find him but just want to know either way,’ Michael said.

Despite the ordeal, the family have paid tribute to the emergency services and those who have rallied round to help them during their struggles.

They are currently being supported by Portsmouth City Council and the British Red Cross while a GoFundMe drive was organised by friend Dave Reed.

‘We can’t praise the emergency services enough for helping us and keeping our spirits up,’ Michael said.

‘The support we’ve had from so many people has been fantastic. We are so humbled by the help we’ve had.’

Investigations into the cause of the fire are being carried out and ‘could take a while’ according to firefighters. The family and their neighbours are currently not allowed back in their houses while these are carried out.

In the meantime the McCormicks, who are due to speak with their mortgage company and insurance firm this week, have to wait the outcome of investigations before a decision is made on whether the house will be rebuilt.

‘We are just taking it day by day,’ Michael said. ‘We just need to find out if it is safe to repair. But if we do go back in there it won’t be for a very long time.’

He added: ‘We want to find out what happened so it does not happen again.’

To donate, see gofundme.com/f/6nmq9-1000

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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