One man was arrested and another is being sought by police in connection with an explosion which tore through a block of flats in Skelmersdale.
Police were called to Tanfields in Skelmersdale at 6.07pm on Tuesday (May 17) following reports of an explosion which caused massive damage to two flats. Five people managed to get out of the building before emergency services arrived. Fortunately, none of them were seriously injured.
A man later attended Ormskirk Hospital with burn injuries. They are not life-threatening.
READ MORE : Man pulled from exploded flat 'lucky to be alive' say neighbours who rescued him
Police said they were keeping an open mind as to the cause of the explosion while investigations continue. At this stage it is being treated as unexplained.
Following a number of enquires, a 29-year-old man from Darlington was arrested on suspicion of production of a class B drug and of causing an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious injury.
Officers now want to speak to 40-year-old Robert Nolan, from Skelmersdale, as part of their enquiries.
He is described as white, around 5ft 8ins tall, of slim build and speaking with a Liverpool accent.
As part of the ongoing investigation police asked for anybody who saw anything suspicious earlier in the day of the incident or in the period directly after the explosion to get in contact. They also want to hear from anybody who saw any suspicious vehicles in the area in the days before the explosion. They asked people to check their CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage to see if they had captured anything which could assist with their investigation.
DC Sean Reddington, of Lancashire Police said: "This incident has caused significant damage to the properties and left a number of people displaced. Our investigation is very much ongoing to establish the cause of the explosion and we would ask people to check any footage they may have covering the area to see if they have captured anything which could assist us in our enquiries.
"Although we are keeping an open mind as to what caused the explosion we have made an arrest. We now need to speak to Robert Nolan as we believe he can assist us with our enquiries. We would ask anybody who sees him or knows where he is to contact police as soon as possible."
To uploaded footage click here: https://orlo.uk/nlSw0
Anyone with information is asked to email 2340@lancashire.police.uk or call 101, quoting log 1311 or May 17, 2022.
