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Jersey's emergency services have shared details of the heroic rescue which saved a family-of-four from their collapsing home following an explosion at Mont Pinel this week.
In a press conference today, Station Commander Ryan Hall – who was Incident Commander on the night of the blast – shared a statement which outlined how the events unfolded on Wednesday evening.
Pictured: Station Commander Ryan Hall was Incident Commander on the night of the Mont Pinel explosion this week.
The incident began at 22:57 when emergency services were called to an "unidentified suspected explosion and structural collapse" at a property on Mont Pinel in St Saviour.
"A major incident was declared at this time," said Station Commander Hall.
"There was significant damage to the property, and it appeared structurally unsafe.
"Upon inspection, we determined that there was no sign of fire."
Pictured: Two adults and two children were taken to hospital after an explosion at a Mont Pinel home.
Emergency services were made aware that there was a family inside the property, consisting of two adults and two young children – aged two and five.
Once the area was secured by police, firefighters entered the downstairs section of the property from the rear where the two adults were trapped underneath rubble.
Station Commander Hall explained: "The father was first to be rescued.
"Due to the significance of the incident, it was a dynamic rescue where the priority was to save saveable life.
"This was very time-critical due to the unstable nature of the structure.
"We deployed with minimal crews in the risk areas and were closely supervised with safety officers in place, monitoring possible movement in the structure."
Firefighters then managed to rescue the two young children, who were upstairs in the property.
Station Commander Hall said: "The children were wrapped in blankets and held by firefighters who negotiated a difficult path from the rear of the property through a first-floor window.
"This was due to significant damage to the interior. The children showed no immediate signs of injury."
He described the children's rescue as a "difficult extraction" due to the damage to the building.
"There were concerns that it may collapse at any time," he said.
The mother required "greater assistance" and was the final resident to be rescued from the house.
Station Commander Hall said: "During the final stages of her rescue, we felt movement and started to see signs of further deterioration and the decision was that we needed to evacuate the property immediately."
WATCH: The scene at Mont Pinel on Thursday morning.
Ambulance crews then assessed the adults and children, before transporting them to the General Hospital.
Station Commander Hall said that the "quick actions of the initial responding crews should be commended".
"This was a challenging situation for emergency services, and I thank them for their quick thinking and bravery," he added.
He also thanked the St Saviour Honorary Police and Parish Hall officials for their assistance in hosting 19 neighbours who were evacuated.
The residents are receiving ongoing support from the Government, including accommodation and essentials.
Station Commander Hall confirmed that police officers remain on site for the safety of the public, and a cordon will remain in place until Monday evening.
He explained that structural engineers will be inspecting the property to assess its structural integrity before investigations can begin.
Three neighbouring properties have been assessed by building standards as 'not dangerous' structures, but residents are currently unable to return as inspections of the area are still being conducted.
Station Commander Hall said: "This is no longer a Major Incident, and we now move to the recovery phase, led by States of Jersey Fire and Rescue.
"It’s expected to take around a week to be able to sure up the property and make it safe enough for investigations to begin.
"At this stage, we cannot determine or comment on the cause of the suspected explosion and investigations will begin once we are safely able to do so."
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