A house has been badly damaged by a suspected gas explosion, leaving only one corner of the property intact.
The blast took place at around 9am on Sunday in Bourne, Lincolnshire.
Remarkably, the male occupant escaped feeling only a “little shaken” and with minor injuries, police said.
Emergency services reported no other casualties.
Lincolnshire Police tweeted: “We are in attendance at what is believed to be a gas explosion on Holly Drive in Bourne.
“A man has minor injuries and is a little shaken. There were no other injuries. The house has been severely damaged. This was reported to us at 9.13am.”
The force said: “Whilst a full investigation is to be conducted, we believe it is probably a gas explosion.”
Although dramatic photographs showed barely half of the detached property still standing, a spokesperson said the house had been assessed and it was not deemed necessary to evacuate any other properties.
A resident, who declined to give his name, said: “The old boy was standing outside after the explosion and we heard him say it's safe for him to go back in because he'd turned the gas off.”
Another man, who lives opposite the house and wished to remain anonymous, said: “All we know was there was an explosion. There was a big bang.
“I don't know the cause but we just assumed there'd been an explosion. Then we saw the house partially demolished.
“We're only the width of the road away. It was quite frightening.”
In response to the images, one Twitter user wrote: “Awful but hopefully family is safe.”
Another wrote: “So sad, especially just before Xmas. Glad to hear the occupants are ok.”
Andy Pearson said: “Like something out of a war zone hope everyone is safe.”
Sarah Constantine said: “Wow that's awful to see.”
