THE emergency services launched a major incident operation after a man was blown up in his car today.

The 58-year-old died after the blast on Old Cemetery Lane, Hartlepool, Teesside, blew the roof off his Nissan Micra in the early hours.

Three ambulance crew members and two police officers who were first on the scene were decontaminated after suffering sore throats. All have been released from hospital.

Detective Superintendent Gordon Lang told a news conference in Hartlepool that it was not believed to be terror-related.

Initial investigations suggest the blast is not terrorist-related, a source said.

Counter-terror detectives at Scotland Yard are not involved in the investigation.

Mr Lang said a 250m cordon will be placed around the dead mans home to allow a search of his property to be safely carried out.

The man, whose family has not been traced, lived in a flat in Hartlepool Marina.

Boats moored there and people living in a nearby block of apartments will be evacuated.

Mr Lang said decontaminating the emergency services personnel involved simply washing with soap and water.

Detailed chemical analysis of the car and any substances in his home will take place later.

"This is highly unusual and as a consequence of that, it will be of concern to members of the public," he said.

"The experts are here and we dealing with it in a systematic and methodical way."

The detective said 25 police officers and five Army bomb disposal experts were working on the case.

A force spokeswoman said that arrival at the scene, officers discovered the body of a man in the car.

“He had suffered injuries consistent with some kind of explosion which police can confirm had taken place within the vehicle," she said.

“The immediate area was cordoned off and the Fire Brigade attended the scene. Inquiries are continuing this morning.”

A spokesman for Hartlepool Borough Council said it had set up an evacuation centre at the Hartlepool Maritime Experience for residents evacuated from the Navigation Point area.

Adam Tarbah, 23, manager of Rosie O'Grady's pub on Navigation Point said police have been gradually closing off the street all morning.

He said: "I got here at 9am and I thought all the police vans were for an immigration raid. But then people started saying it was linked to the exploded car this morning.

"Apparently police are waiting for the bomb squad to arrive. They are focussing on flat which is above Vibe Bar. I imagine they will be coming from Catterick Garrison.

"The cordon stretches about 400 metres and in the last 15 minutes it was extended another ten to 15 metres.

"The police are not letting anyone in and I think it's just a matter of time before we're evacuated.

"Friends have been posting on Facebook and Twitter saying that the guy who died in the car explosion lived in that flat and it may have chemicals inside it.

"There's about half-a-dozen police down by the marina now."

More reports coming from social networking sites say that ambulance crews and police officers have been decontaminated following the car explosion in the early hours of this morning.

Brian Hodgson, who works at The Cosmopolitan Hotel on Hartlepool's headland, said: "I've seen fire engines and police cars down at Navigation Point.

They've closed the road off around the marina. There's a lot of police activity going on."

It is believed that the car contained chemicals when it exploded, although police would not confirm this at this stage.

Health bosses say the University Hospital of Hartlepool has been put on high alert.

A spokeswoman for North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust said: "Two police officers and three ambulance crew were decontaminated at the scene and have been brought to the University Hospital of Hartlepool for check ups as a precaution." The trust also confirmed that it had called together its 'major Incident' team so that it could respond to any subsequent developments and keep other services going during an incident.

Two police officers and three paramedics were decontaminated at the site before being taken to hospital as a precaution.

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