AN Islander has told how he and his wife were pulled out of their home by firefighters after the explosion in the early hours of today.
Luis and Luzia Gomes spoke shortly after leaving the Town Hall, where they had been taken after the blast.
Mr Gomes and other nearby residents have also told how fire crews were called out many hours before the blast after residents reported smelling gas.
Mr Gomes said: ‘The fire brigade were called last night at 9pm because it smelt of gas.
‘We live on the road in front of where the explosion was. The whole house is destroyed, the windows and doors got blown off. We woke up to the explosion and we couldn’t move because there was too much smoke. The fire brigade had to pull us out, we were worried and scared.
‘Andium have already sorted us some accommodation. We saw about six flats and three floors all completely collapsed.’
Melanie Davies, who lives on the crest of South Hill, about 50m from Haut du Mont, was also woken by the explosion.
She said: ‘There is debris all over South Hill, including the Glacis Field and Rue de L’Est, which are both covered in roof insulation. Roof tiles also landed in our garden.
‘Hearing the explosion was the scariest thing I have ever experienced in my life. I thought initially that a car had crashed into our garden wall. I felt the whole house shake and a massive, powerful boom.
‘The police were here very quickly – within minutes – and cordoned off the road. We cannot obviously access the Harbour side but residents can now go in and out on the eastern side. It was an incredibly scary experience.’
Monday’s JEP includes a special report on the weekend’s devastating events. You can subscribe here subscribe.jerseyeveningpost.com
