A man and woman died while three others, including one child, were injured after an explosion at a house in Bristol, Avon and Somerset Police have said.
The explosion was reported at a residential address in Sterncourt Road at about 6.30am this morning (Sunday, May 3).
The cause of the incident is being treated as suspicious, and a major incident has been declared.
Superintendent Matt Ebbs told reporters: “At about 6.17am we received a call to attend a domestic related incident at a residential address in Sterncourt Road.
“Officers were sent to the scene but shortly before they arrived, at just after 6.30am, there was an explosion inside the property.
“A woman and a man have died at the address and we’re treating the explosion as suspicious.
“Their families have been updated and are being supported by specially trained officers, and our thoughts are very much with them.
“Three people, a man, a woman and a child, were taken to hospital to be treated for minor injuries.”
Detectives are carrying out a search at another property in the Speedwell area of Bristol linked to the man who died in the house explosion on Sunday morning, Superintendent Ebbs added.
He went on: “A cordon was put in place to protect the public and to allow inquiries to be carried out at the scene. This included specialist searches carried out by the British Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal, as a precaution.
“People living within the cordon were evacuated to a temporary rest centre, and we want to thank them for their ongoing cooperation and understanding.
“We fully recognise how disruptive this has been for them, and to manage expectations, we think the cordon will remain in place until at least the evening, and we’ll continue to provide updates where we can.
“Public safety will always be our priority and we’ll reduce the cordon as soon as it’s safe for people to return to their homes.”
The public have been advised to avoid the area around Sterncourt Road as emergency services continue their response.
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 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”.
Superintendent Ebbs added: “We know this incident will be of great concern to those living in the affected communities, and our neighbourhood policing teams will be carrying out patrols to provide reassurance and advice.
“And if anyone is worried or concerned, please speak to an officer. This does remain a complex and sensitive investigation and we’ll continue to provide updates as and when they’re available.”
