Susan Shepherd stable in hospital with burns after being rescued by firefighters from property hit by huge blast in Ryhope

A woman whose house was destroyed by a huge gas explosion survived after a fridge fell on top of her, her sister has claimed.

Tracy Judson, 52, said “there must be a god somewhere” after her sister, Susan Shepherd, survived the blast on Friday morning in Rosslyn Avenue, Sunderland.

Shepherd, whose daughter was not in the house at the time, suffered burns and is in a serious but stable condition in hospital.

Neighbours said the blast sounded like a bomb going off and sent debris flying. It destroyed Shepherd’s home and devastated a neighbouring property.

Judson said on Facebook that her sister was conscious and talking after the blast. “To everyone concerned about the explosion in Rosslyn Ave, there must be a god somewhere. How the hell can anyone survive that explosion?” she wrote.

“My sister Susan has been airlifted to hospital. She was conscious and talking - that’s all I know for now. Thanks for everyone’s kind words. Her daughter was with her dad.”

She added: “The fridge fell on top of her and saved her life. She’s absolutely fine under the circumstances, she’s got minor burns to her back, face and arms and might need stitching, thank God.”

The North East ambulance service confirmed that firefighters had rescued one person, who had suffered burns and was taken to the Royal Victoria hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Cllr Alan Emerson, who lives two doors down from the house, said neighbours tried to enter the property after the explosion, but abandoned their attempts because of the smell of gas.

“It sounded like a bomb going off. It shook the entire house, it shook all the houses. I actually thought my roof had come down and when I went out to the back, there was debris everywhere – slates, tiles, you name it, everywhere,” he told the Guardian.



“I thought it was my roof, but when I came out I could hear people shouting. When I came out on to the street I realised straight away we’d had an explosion. There was a house literally missing. People were trying to get in, but we had to get out because we smelled gas everywhere.”



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Emergency services at the scene of the explosion. The blast sent debris from the house flying and smashed nearby windows. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

Emerson said the nextdoor neighbours, whose house was seriously damaged, were believed to have been at work when the explosion happened.

Emerson, who has lived in the area for nearly 40 years, said a front door from one of the houses had been blown across the road and the force of the blast smashed neighbours’ windows.

“One half of a semi is entirely demolished and the other one is in a dangerous situation. There’s debris all over the street, people’s cars, people’s roofs, mine included,” he said.

“My car’s damaged and everybody’s cars around there are damaged. The front door from one of the houses is in the garden opposite me. I’ve lived here a long, long time, and we’ve never had anything like this. It’s something you only see on TV once in a while.”

Lauren Haggerton, who lives a short walk from the destroyed house, said she heard a huge bang and her house shook shortly before 9am.

The 19-year-old said: “The house itself was completely destroyed and I was in utter shock at how bad it was. [There were] around 50 to 60 people on the main road who had obviously been evacuated from the nearby houses for their own safety, babies and young children in pushchairs, many people still in pyjamas.”

Tracey Pounder said she heard an “almighty bang”. She added: “I went upstairs and you could see dust rising. Half of the semi has gone and next door is wrecked. I came down to see what was happening and it is a complete shock.”



A North East ambulance service spokeswoman said: “We were called to the Rosslyn Avenue area of Ryhope at 8.48am. We dispatched our hazardous area response team (Hart) and two officers, and requested support from Great North air ambulance service.

“Working with our emergency service colleagues, we rescued and treated one patient suffering burns, who was in a serious but stable condition.

“We have taken the casualty to the Newcastle Royal Victoria infirmary by paramedic ambulance with the GNAAS doctor on board. Our Hart officers currently remain on scene to continue to support Northumbria police and Tyne and Wear fire.”

A 30-metre cordon was put in place around the property as police asked members of the public to stay away. A nearby community centre was open to support people affected by the explosion, police said.