Edinburgh: Man, 84, dies in house explosion | UK News

An 84-year-old man has died following a gas explosion at a house, police confirmed.

Police Scotland were called to the Baberton area of Edinburgh at 10.25pm on Friday following ‘multiple reports’ of the incident.

A 43-year-old woman and 54-year-old man were taken to hospital for treatment, but their condition is currently unknown, the Scottish Fire Service confirmed.

The man who died lived in a neighbouring property.

The fire service left the scene at 6.39am this morning.

Police say there are no suspicious circumstances.

A number of homes were also evacuated as a precaution and the road – Baberton Mains Avenue – remains closed as of Saturday morning.

Police Scotland said in a statement: ‘Around 10.25pm on Friday December 1 2023 we were called to reports of an explosion at a property on Baberton Mains Avenue in Edinburgh. Emergency services are at the scene, and we would advise people to avoid the area at this time.’

A Scottish fire and rescue service spokesperson said: ‘We were alerted at 10.26pm on Friday December 1 to reports of a gas explosion affecting residential properties on Baberton Mains Avenue in Edinburgh.

‘Operations control mobilised five fire appliances and specialist resources to the area where firefighters worked to make the area safe. Two casualties were rescued prior to our arrival, and the crews remain on scene.’

A spokesperson for gas distributor SGN said the body was brought in to assist emergency services and ‘ensure the immediate vicinity’ was ‘made safe’, adding it was ‘too early to speculate’ on the cause of the explosion.

‘At around 10.45pm last night, we received a request to assist the emergency services following reports of a serious explosion in Baberton, Edinburgh,’ the spokesperson said.

‘Our engineers worked with the emergency services to ensure the immediate vicinity in Baberton Mains Avenue was made safe in our role as the gas emergency service.

‘Our deepest sympathies are with the family of the man who has tragically died as well as those who have been injured.

‘While it is too early to speculate as to what has happened, we are working closely with the authorities to help discover the cause.’

Some people reported hearing the explosion as far away as Gilmerton on social media platform X, a suburb on the fringe of Edinburgh 6.5 miles from the blast site.

An eyewitness said the area outside the house at Baberton Mains Avenue was strewn with rubble and there was a smell of gas.

Neighbours said they could feel their homes shaking, while another person tweeted that they had heard the blast from inside a cinema in the nearby suburb of Wester Hailes.

A GoFundMe page has been setup to support a family who ‘have lost everything and their home… so close to Christmas’.

Ross Aitchison was one of the first on the scene, after hearing a bang from his home. He pulled a woman out of the rubble with the help of another individual, and has now launched a fundraiser for the family.

After launching the fundraiser just after midnight, Ross had already raised around £1,400 by 10am – with a goal of £10,000.

Sue Webber, a Scottish Tory MSP for the Lothian region, wrote on social media: ‘Such tragic news, in such a close community.

‘Thank you to all the emergency services that attended. My thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by this incident.’

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