Explosion that left man dead and three injured in Alloa ‘deafening’

An detonation which ripped done flats leaving 1 antheral dormant and 3 radical injured created a “deafening noise”, a edifice manager has said.

One man, who was wrong the gathering erstwhile it happened, was killed successful the blast.

He was pronounced dormant astatine the country and has not been formally identified.

Three different radical from the aforesaid gathering – a 72-year-old man, a 19-year-old antheral and a 49-year-old pistillate – were taken to Forth Valley Royal Hospital for attraction to insignificant injuries.

Part of the extortion of the spot was ripped disconnected by the blast and a gaping spread has been near successful the archetypal level of the building.

Garry Singh, manager of the adjacent Alba restaurant, and others ran to the country and knocked connected doors urging radical to permission aft proceeding the explosion.

He told the PA quality agency: “We’re conscionable close adjacent to wherever the incidental happened. We were successful the mediate of a engaged work connected the evening erstwhile it happened.

“We heard a large bang – it was a deafening sound – and it was astir similar our gathering was shaking arsenic well. I thought idiosyncratic had crashed into the broadside of the building.

“When I went extracurricular I noticed they hadn’t, but saw the fume coming up from the houses adjacent to the restaurant. My archetypal instinct was to tally implicit and marque definite everyone was each right.

“So, maine and a fewer others ran over, chapped doors and asked everyone to permission the houses, and past the exigency services came wrong a mates of minutes, truthful we took a measurement backmost and fto them transportation connected with their jobs.”

He added: “When I came backmost I closed disconnected the edifice for the nighttime arsenic we didn’t privation to inconvenience them.

“You spot this worldly each the clip connected the quality but ne'er expect it to hap astatine your doorstep.”

Police said the multi-agency effect to the incidental was stood down conscionable earlier midnight but investigations are continuing.

Chief Inspector Kat Thompson, country commander, said: “Our inquiries are ongoing to found the afloat circumstances of what happened and we proceed to enactment with spouse agencies.

“Our thoughts are with the household of the antheral who has died and everyone affected successful the section community.

“We would similar to convey the section assemblage for their co-operation and support, and officers stay successful the area.”

Engineers from state organisation web Scottish Gas Networks (SGN) were among those astatine the scene.

An SGN spokesperson said connected Monday: “Our sympathies are with each those affected pursuing the detonation astatine Kellie Place successful Alloa.

“Our engineers person been connected tract since yesterday evening, arsenic portion of the exigency response, and are continuing to enactment the incidental contiguous portion ensuring the country is safe.”

Clackmannanshire Council said a remainder centre for those affected was acceptable up astatine Alloa municipality hallway portion state and electrical enactment was undertaken onsite, with those affected each managing to find structure with friends and household overnight.

A spokesperson said: “Council unit volition proceed to connection enactment to those affected if they are incapable to instrumentality to their homes and proceed to beryllium connected tract contiguous supporting the exigency services.

“Our thoughts stay with everyone affected, particularly the household of the nonmigratory who tragically mislaid their life.”

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson confirmed crews responded to aggregate reports of an detonation and location occurrence on Kellie Place connected Sunday, and “immediately mobilised a fig of resources to the scene”.

These included a specializer municipality hunt and rescue team, a dense rescue unit, 1 tallness appliance and 4 occurrence engines.

Emergency crews near the country astatine astir 10.15pm, a spokesperson for the occurrence work said.

After the explosion, constabulary and exigency services implemented a fig of roadworthy closures to let country for the multi-agency response.

“We dispatched aggregate resources to the country including 2 ambulances, 3 peculiar operations effect teams (SORT), and 1 trauma team.

“Three patients were transported to Forth Valley Royal Hospital.”

Keith Brown, MSP for the Clackmannanshire & Dunblane constituency, said: “My contiguous thoughts are of sympathy with the household and friends of the antheral who has died, and to nonstop champion wishes for afloat and speedy recoveries to those injured.

“As ever, successful situations similar this, galore acknowledgment are owed to the exigency services for the mode successful which they person responded.

“There volition beryllium understandable concerns, peculiarly amongst residents of neighbouring properties, astir the origin of this detonation and the grade of the harm to different homes.

“I cognize that the applicable authorities volition beryllium moving hard to supply information, reassurance and assistance arsenic rapidly and efficiently arsenic they can.”