Man in his 50s killed in horror gas explosion which destroyed home & sparked evacuation with major incident declared
A MAN in his 50s has died following a horror gas explosion last night which destroyed a home in a major incident.
Emergency services were called to John Street in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, at 7.39pm after an explosion inside a house.
The terraced home was destroyed and significant damage was also caused to neighbouring properties.
The body of a man, aged in his 50s, was later discovered in the wreckage.
Despite the best efforts of the responding emergency services, he died at the scene.
Chief Inspector Clive Collings, from Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This is an extremely serious incident that has led to a man’s untimely death.
“The man’s family have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers.
“I have no doubt that this incident will have come as a shock to the community in Worksop.”
Multiple residents from in and around John Street were evacuated.
They are being supported by Nottinghamshire County Council.
The force said an investigation is ongoing to establish the cause of the explosion.
Search teams were sifting through the rubble for possible victims this morning.
But police said anyone who may have been in the area at the time is now accounted for.
Chief Inspector Clive Collings added: “It is likely that the cordon and road closures will remain in place for some time as we carry out our investigations.
“I would also like to acknowledge the cooperation of local residents and thank them for their patience.
“Officers will remain in the area to carry out enquiries relating to the investigation and anyone with concerns is encouraged to speak with an on-duty officer.
“It is an offence to fly a drone over or near to an ongoing emergency response without permission and I would ask that people refrain from doing that.
“I would also like to thank all partners, including our emergency services colleagues at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service and East Midlands Ambulance Service, who have worked throughout the night in response to this incident.”
Resident Jonathan Hodson, 51, described hearing “almighty explosion” – adding: “Fence panels were rattling and the windows were shaking.”
Karolina Ciolko, who lives nearby, said: “I quickly looked out the window and saw smoke.
“The car in front of me rocked and the alarm went off. We quickly ran out of the house to see what had happened.”
Anyone who has any additional information is asked to contact 101 quoting incident 612 of 12 April 2025.