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A 65-year-old man has been injured after a suspected gas explosion which blew the roof off his bungalow.
Emergency services were called to the incident in Huntcliffe Gardens in the Heaton area of Newcastle yesteday afternoon.
The man was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary and his condition was later said to be stable.
No one else was injured in the incident, but the road was closed and nearby residents were evacuated for awhile.
A Northumbria Police spokeswoman said a structural engineer and the gas board had been sent to the scene and an investigation was ongoing into the cause of the explosion.
Neighbours had reported a strong smell of gas after the blast, which is not being treated as suspicious, she said.
One neighbour, who did not wish to be named, told Sky News: "Half an hour before the blast the man said he could smell gas but he must have ignited it somehow.
"The noise was frightening... there was glass all over the place.
"I could hear him screaming 'help me'. I couldn't get over the fence because I am too old, so I called the emergency services and within five minutes they were all here."
