Crews who were called out to reports of a small kitchen fire in Castleford got more than they bargained when they arrived on the scene.

Confronted with a string of small fires last week (8 July) in a row of six terraced houses, firefighters evacuated the occupants just seconds before an explosion tore through the row of homes. The drama was captured on a CCTV camera mounted on a fire engine.

Around 30 people were evacuated, two houses were partly demolished and four further homes suffered extensive fire and blast damage. One firefighter was taken to hospital with minor cuts.

Investigators found that the blast was caused after a piece of cable was cut from an overhead line. This affected the earthing of the electrical network in the area and resulted in ‘unusual electrical activity’, which affected some of the gas pipes in the properties. This resulted in the fires and explosion.

Ian Bitcon, senior operations response officer at West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said:

“If the house had exploded only seconds earlier, there is no doubt in my mind that it would have killed or seriously injured the occupants and the firefighters who were risking their lives to rescue them.

“We have already had one fatality as a result of cable theft. If people continue to tamper with equipment on the electricity network, it is only a matter of time before more people die.”

The incident in Castleford affected the electricity supply to 63 properties and the gas supplies to 55 of them.

Northern Gas Networks director of health, safety and environment, Dave Hutchison, said: “This footage sends a clear message to metal thieves targeting electrical and gas equipment – don’t do it. It is extremely dangerous and threatens lives all for the sake of a few pounds.”