LONDON ¨C British police declared a major incident on Sunday after an explosion destroyed a convenience store and a home in the central English city of Leicester.
Pictures and videos posted on Twitter showed flames leaping into the sky from the site, which was reduced to rubble.
¡°All emergency services are currently dealing with this,¡± the police force said in a statement. ¡°Please avoid the area.¡±
The city¡¯s fire department said it sent six fire engines after reports of a large explosion and a building collapse.
¡°We got a call about an hour ago after reports of a large explosion and a building collapse,¡± a firefighter in the city¡¯s fire department¡¯s control room said.
Police and fire officials said they could not comment on whether there were any casualties.
A picture used by the Leicester Mercury newspaper showed a blaze and the rubble of the destroyed building, which the newspaper said housed a convenience store and a flat above it.
¡°We heard an absolutely massive explosion. It was pretty frightening,¡± the Mercury quoted an unidentified resident, who lives a few streets away, as saying.
¡°We went to look out of the upstairs windows and saw loads of smoke, and then a few seconds later massive orange flames.¡±
The local ambulance service said it dispatched a hazardous response team to the site.
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