A man whose wife died after their house exploded a year ago said he has flashbacks of her crying “get me out” while he was stuck under rubble.Janet Jasper, 79, died in hospital after a blast, which happened when a cooker spark ignited leaking gas.
The gas leak was due to a failure of an internal gas pipe joint. The gas maintenance company, Cadent, which supplied the house, said it only had responsibility for pipes up to the gas meter.
About 50 homes in Birstall, Leicestershire, were damaged in the explosion at 07.30 GMT on the 11th December 2017. John Jasper, 81, who had lived with his wife in the house since the 1960s said it had been the “worst year ever”.
Mr Jasper said: “When they found me under the plaster board I looked back at what was left of my house and I just couldn’t believe I had come out of that house virtually unscathed.
“I realised I’d got nothing. I was devastated. Everything we had lived for – 56 years there – had just gone up in one big bang.”
Mr Jasper said his main flashback from the blast was his wife calling for help. The house next door was both wrecked in the explosion as well as dozen of other being damaged. As well as losing his wife, his home and his belongings, Mr Jasper and his son Anthony have both suffered health problems since.
He said: “It’s been pretty bad, complete with having a stroke and recovering from that.
“It’s probably been the worst year. Then Anthony has been diagnosed with a lymphoma. It is one thing after the other. It has been an awful year.”
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said: Following an explosion at a residential property in Allington Drive, Birstall in the early hours of Monday 11 December, the joint on-scene investigation between Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service and Leicestershire Police has now concluded.
The joint investigation has determined that there will be no criminal investigation. As a result, the scene was lifted yesterday afternoon, although police officers have remained in Allington Drive to reassure local residents who have been affected by the incident.
The cause has been categorized as accidental and the seat of the explosion has now been identified. The explosion is attributed to a catastrophic failure of an internal gas pipe joint, in the floor of the property, and the escaping gas being ignited by a cooker spark generator switch. A forensic investigation is now underway by the Health and Safety Executive to identify what caused the failure of the internal gas pipe.
As a result of the explosion, the semi-detached property where the seat of explosion has been identified, was a total collapse and the adjoining property a partial collapse with a significant number of other properties in the vicinity damaged by the blast.
Three casualties were taken to hospital, one of whom has subsequently died. Identification of the deceased is a matter for HM Coroner. Leicestershire Police are now preparing a file for the Coroner’s Office.
