Portsmouth house explosion: Dramatic photo captures scale of the damage caused to Nelson Avenue, North End home

Investigators will begin to shift through the rubble to try and find the cause of the blast.

Emergency services, including firefighters, paramedics and police, rushed to the scene in Nelson Avenue, North End, yesterday afternoon, following the explosion.

Two people were seriously injured and were taken to hospital for treatment.

A picture shared by Portchester Fire Station captures the scale of the damage caused by the explosion.

The blast was so powerful it collapsed the rear of the property, obliterating walls and windows and blowing doors off their hinges.

Portchester Fire Station tweeted: ‘Great work by crews to prevent fire spread to neighboring Properties.’

Speaking to The News from outside the cordon of Nelson Avenue last night, group manager Paul Reddish, incident commander, said the damage was so severe, that firefighters had been unable to enter the home safely yet.

He added: ‘At this stage we’re unable to determine exactly where the explosion was, not being able to get into the property concerned.

‘At this stage the cause of the explosion is unknown and the exact location of that explosion is also unknown.’

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