Four people, including two children, were taken to hospital in Jersey after reports of an explosion on Wednesday evening.

Emergency services were called after receiving a report of a suspected explosion at a terraced house in the Mont Pinel district of St Saviour, just before 11pm GMT.

Jersey Police said there was “significant damage” to the property, but the cause of the incident was considered unexplained.

Two children, aged 2 and 5, were uninjured, while two adults remain in hospital in stable condition with non-life-threatening or life-threatening injuries.

The affected house is located on a street in Le Mont Pinel, a densely populated residential area, approximately 100 meters from the hotel, which is popular with tourists.

Police said residents of four neighbouring properties were evacuated as a precaution.

The photo, taken from the edge of the police cordon, shows the house with the front of the property exposed and children’s bunk beds and other furniture visible inside.

Two women living beneath the affected house said their property “trembled.”

Jersey Police announced that a serious incident had occurred but said the report had now been suspended and the situation had entered the recovery phase.

Police said structural engineers were due to attend the site, as well as three neighbouring properties, to assess the structural integrity before an investigation began.

The Jersey Government is also providing accommodation and other essentials to 19 displaced residents.

The scene of the incident has been secured and police remain at the scene.

Deputy First Minister Lyndon Farnham said: “Our thoughts are with the family affected by the disaster and with those who have been displaced by it.”

Acrewood Day Nursery was closed for the day on police orders.

Jersey Electricity staff were on site and as a precaution they cut off the power.

This morning, Island Energy said it is supporting emergency services at the scene.

Constable of St. Savior Kevin Lewis said residents did well.

“Well, it’s true, they were shocked and of course they took their animals with them… but everyone was in good spirits, but of course they were shocked by what was happening,” he said.

Mr Lewis said: “They mentioned hearing a loud bang and said the police, the police and emergency services, arrived very quickly and they were evacuated just as a precaution.”

‘Very scary’

Karen Basile, 62, who lives next door, said she heard a “huge boom” that shook her property.

She added that the house continued to collapse shortly after emergency services arrived, but rescuers managed to enter and rescue four people.

“It was very scary because it sounded like an explosion,” she said.

“We knew there were people involved in the house because we heard screaming.

“(We) heard people talking to them… it was really shocking for everyone.”

Ms Basile praised the emergency services as “absolutely amazing”.

She said, “A man came out first, he was walking, and then I heard them say, ‘grab and go.'”

“Then everyone left very quickly.”

She added that another resident of the home was carried out on a stretcher.

“All the emergency services moved away from the house very quickly, the situation was so unstable,” she said.

Additional information: Charles Vivian

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