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It's been a deeply traumatic week for Jersey, as islanders come to terms with Saturday's fatal explosion on Pier Road.
The official investigation into what happened is now underway, led by Detective Superintendent Alison Fossey, who is the Head of Crime for the States of Jersey Police.
With more information coming out every day, here Express draws together what we know so far.
Eight people have so far been confirmed to have lost their lives in the explosion, which destroyed a six-unit apartment block at Haut du Mont on Pier Road, run and managed by social housing provider Andium Homes.
The cause of the fatal explosion is being investigated. There is a working assumption that it was likely caused by gas – because explosions of this ferocity usually are – but that has not been proven. Independent fire experts are seeking to identify the cause.
The area is being treated as a crime scene.
No property in Haut de Mont was connected to gas for cooking or heating. Gas had supplied the estate, but Andium has expressed its intent to move its entire estate off gas to reduce its carbon footprint and align itself with wider Government objectives to achieve carbon neutrality.
Andium Homes has confirmed that there was a redundant Island Energy supply at Haut du Mont but all users had been removed from it.
Pictured: the site of the explosion at Haut du Mont. (Jon Guegan)
The States-owned company has also confirmed that, in September, it instructed gas supplier Islands Energy to disconnect that redundant supply from their mains network, off site.
This was after the last tenant using gas at Haut du Mont – who did not live in the affected block – moved to an electric cooker that month.
An eyewitness told Express that they saw engineers working at a site along Commercial Buildings, near the road’s 90-degree bend around the English Harbour, on Friday evening.
Islands Energy Group Chief Executive Officer Jo Cox confirmed at a press briefing on Monday that the company had carried out recent work at the site before Saturday’s explosion, but the utility has not gone into the details of that work, and whether it was the disconnection that Andium had asked it to do.
Asked if that had been the work taking place on Friday, an Island Energy spokesperson said: “We can confirm that, in line with Andium’s statement, there was a redundant Island Energy supply at Haut du Mont but there was no gas being consumed by either Andium or their residents.
“Outside of this, we are unable to comment on any details regarding works carried out on the property last week as this is part of an investigation and, as such, it would be inappropriate to discuss any information at this time.”
Pictured: Islands Energy Group Chief Executive Officer speaking to the media on Monday
Mrs Cox said on Monday that Haut du Mont was not on the mains gas network, which she confirmed was '100% safe'. The estate was therefore connected by a branch connection off the mains supply, although – as Andium and Island Energy have said – this infrastructure was redundant.
Roadworks by the corner along Commercial Buildings, which have barriers around it with ‘gas’ written on them, is currently cordoned off with police tape, and uniformed officers are maintaining a presence there.
Asked about the police activity along Commercial Buildings at a press conference on Tuesday, Chief of Police Robin Smith said that it was not connected to the investigation and related to concerns about the safety of buildings there, which had been damaged by the blast.
It is also been confirmed that the Fire and Rescue Service was called to Haut du Mont at 20:36 on Friday night. They left at 21:01, handing over to Islands Energy.
It is standard procedure that the gas company attends whenever a concern about a gas leak is reported to the emergency services.
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