Two adults have died after an explosion at a house in Bristol on Sunday morning, as police announce they are treating the event as “suspicious”.
Avon and Somerset Police have declared a major incident after the explosion at an address in Sterncourt Road at around 6.30am.
The cause is being treated as suspicious, the force said.
Police are currently not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident and they are not treating it as a suspected terrorist event.
A large emergency response was in place around Sterncourt Road, with police cordons on roads near the property.
Police cars and vans were present, along with an ambulance and a bomb disposal team.
Residents said the neighbourhood is usually quiet and friendly.
Those living within an area cordoned off by police are being evacuated to a temporary rest centre.
But there is not believed to be any significant damage to nearby properties.
Officers are also carrying out enquiries at a property in Speedwell which police say is linked to the Sterncourt Road explosion.
The force said: “Given the recent change to the UK threat level, we would like to reassure the public from the outset we are not treating this as a suspected terrorist incident.
“We ask people not to speculate around the circumstances and continue to encourage the public to avoid the area while emergency services respond to this incident.”
The families of the two people who died have been updated.
The College of Policing defines a major incident as “an event or situation with a range of serious consequences which requires special arrangements to be implemented by one or more emergency responder agencies”.
