Jersey explosion – live: Three dead and several missing after St Helier flat fire
Police say more people may have been killed after residents reported smelling gas
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Your support makes all the difference.Three people have died and more are missing, authorities say, after an explosion and fire at a block of flats in Jersey.
“Around a dozen” residents are missing following a blast in St Helier, according to Robin Smith, the chief officer of the States of Jersey Police.
One person is still in hospital but not in a serious condition, while two people who were being treated earlier had been released, he said.
Fire crews were called last night after residents around the Haut du Mont flats reported smelling gas.
Video footage and photographs showed smoke billowing above the blaze in the early hours.
Mr Smith described the scene as devastating, warning there could be more fatalities.
He said: “We have a three-storey building that has completely collapsed - described from a demolition point of view as a pancake that has dropped almost straight down.”
Emergency services plan to continue their search-and-rescue operation at the scene in Pier Road all night.
Chief minister Kristina Moore updated the death toll to three, saying it was an “unimaginable tragedy”.
Our live updates from St Helier are now being suspended for the evening.
Raab offers UK help
UK deputy prime minister Dominic Raab praised the rescuers and said the UK government was ready to help.
Islanders strong and resilient, says chief minister
The response to both the explosion and the sinking of a trawler earlier this week showed the island community was “strong and resilient” and how compassionate islanders were, said Kristina Moore, chief minister of Jersey.
“It’s really heartwarming in the 21st century, when it’s often said that communities are fracturing that we have such a strong community... people want to help and that’s one reason why we set up a call centre today to share informaton for those who need it and those who wish to support us,” she said.
“We will be advancing those plans in the coming days.”
Fire chiefs 'talked to utility companies all day’
Emergency services chiefs say they have been speaking to utility companies following the explosion that came after residents had reported smelling gas.
Jersey fire chief Paul Brown said they had been in contact all day.
Asked whether the situation the fire service responded to on Friday evening had anything to do with the cause of the explosion, he said: “I can confirm that the fire and rescue service did attend.
“I don’t know the exact number of firefighters, but they did attend. The call was received at 20.36 yesterday evening.
“I know that they did conduct investigations, but I think at the moment what I’m focused on is just the emergency response.
“I will give you an answer to that but what I’d like to do for the moment is focus on the emergency response, talk to my colleagues and consider those bits that are subject to investigation - and make sure I don’t tell you something that I need to tell someone else first.”
The nature of the rescue work was “slow and methodical”, he said.
Search and investigation may go on for weeks, says police chief
Robin Smith, the chief of police, said the strategic coordinating groups, which included fire and ambulance crews, had a major incident manual, had practised for such a scenario and were ready.
Police also needed sensitivity in dealing with the bereaved families and friends, he said, and family liaison officers at the town hall who would continue beyond the search-and-rescue operation.
“This is a protracted incident, this will go for days, maybe weeks, and therefore it’s important we have the resilience to keep going,” he said. “This isn’t going to finish today.”
He said he had received text messages from hotels offering accommodation, which was typical of people offering help, and offers of help from the UK, particularly the Isle of Wight.
Search dogs were also being taken to the site for the overnight search operation with lighting and appropriate safety for teams, he said.
Fire chiefs worry over risking survivors’ lives amid ‘dangerous debris'
Police chief Robin Smith said the scene in St Helier was one of tragedy, but also of “complete devastation.”
Paul Brown, chief fire officer, said the primary challenge was the fact that a dangerous structure had collapsed, leaving a large pile of debris that was ill structured and not safe.
“Anything that we do, or do in the wrong way, may then jeopardise the chance of survival of anyone who might be rescued.
“We don’t want to get something wrong for trying to do something right,” he said.
Fire crews will keep searching all night for missing people
Rescuers will continue searching the rubble all night for anyone missing who could still be alive, authorities say.
Paul Brown, chief fire officer, said the plan was to continue searching the scene of the explosion.
“The plan is that we will continue searching and we have no other plan at this stage,” he said.
“We are just continuing to search and most of our efforts at the moment are about organisation and logistics of securing the right support at the right time, and making sure that the right equipment arrives in the right sequence.”
He added: “The area is being lit and teams will be working tonight, all night, and we will not stop for the time being.”
Two more people die after blast
At least three people have died following the explosion and fire at a block of flats, Chief Minister Kristina Moore said.
Police chiefs direct search for missing people
Police chiefs went to the site to support the search-and-rescue operation with fire and ambulance crews, before darkness started to fall.
Offers of help ‘humbling and overwhelming'
Offers of accommodation, food and drink and other help for those hit by the tragedy have been incredibly humbling, says one local leader.
Connor Burgher, town centre and events manager for the parish of St Helier, said today’s events and offers of help had been “a bit overwhelming”.
“Today has been awful; however, the kindness from members of the public, the business community, faith groups and many more has been astounding,” he tweeted.
The church has set up a space with tea and coffee for islanders to visit.
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