AN elderly man has been treated for serious injuries following an explosion and fire at a house in a North Yorkshire village.
A kitchen door and ground floor windows in the front and rear of the semi-detached property in Hampsthwaite, between Ripon and Harrogate, were blown out as a result of the blast shortly before 11.30pm on Tuesday.
The man, who is in his 70s, was rescued by neighbours and after being treated at the scene by paramedics was taken to Pinderfields Hospital, in Wakefield, where his condition was described as “poorly”.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service sent three fire crews to tackle a blaze in the house’s kitchen, which had been sparked by the explosion.
Firefighters said the blaze almost completely destroyed the kitchen and part of the living room, while there was smoke damage throughout the property.
Northern Gas Networks engineers were called to the scene and the adjoining home was evacuated as a precaution, ahead of an investigation into the cause of the blast by police and fire officers.
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