DRAMATIC footage of the moment a house was destroyed in a gas explosion has emerged.

The explosion was captured by a CCTV camera from a house just a few doors away from the explosion in Ryhope, Sunderland.

The motion caption camera had been activated just moments earlier by a neighbour who was leaving to go to work.

Susan Shepherd was pulled from the wreckage of her home in Rosslyn Avenue following the explosion at about 8.50am yesterday.

Ms Shepherd's sister Tracy Tia Judson said she was able to talk in the ambulance, having somehow survived the major blast which sent roof tiles flying and shot the back door more than 20 metres down the back garden and over a fence.

Writing on Facebook, Ms Judson said: "The fridge fell on top of her and saved her life.

"She's absolutely fine under the circumstances, she's got minor burns to her back, face and arms and her hip might need stitching."

The CCTV footage was captured from Kelly Rickett's home in Rosslyn Avenue, who was not at home when the house exploded.

The 26-year-old, who works for a Manchester-based airline as cabin crew, was on a flight back from Alicante when the drama unfolded.

She said: "I had just landed and I had lots of calls to ask if I was okay. I was panicking, so I phoned mum and dad and they told me what had happened."

Her father reviewed the footage later in the day and was amazed to see that the camera had captured the moment of the blast.

Miss Ricketts said: "Our next door neighbour left and drove up the street. Two minutes later the explosion happened. I couldn't believe it when I watched the video. It's right on our doorstep, it's so close."

Kelly's parents were among those evacuated after the explosion, while debris was cleared and the scene made safe.

A nearby community centre opened up for families who had nowhere else to go.

Miss Ricketts said the tight-knit community rallied round to help each other during the day, adding: "It was fantastic to see how much the street pulled together."

Police last night confirmed that the incident occurred as a result of a gas explosion and there was no third party involvement.