Homes destroyed in massive gas explosion set to be rebuilt

Thursday, 25 September 2025 14:46

By Chris Gee

Three terraced houses destroyed in a huge gas explosion are set to be rebuilt ‘like-for-like’.

The homes, on Nelson Street in the Fishpool area of Bury were at the centre of a major blast at around 11am on February 28, 2024. The explosion and subsequent fire led to a massive response by emergency services.

A woman in her 70s was taken to hospital with injuries. A huge cordon put in place and a number of nearby homes and a school were evacuated.

The front of one house involved was obliterated, its windows blown out and most of the roof collapsed. The affected homes, an end terrace house and the two adjacent properties, were later largely demolished.

This week, developers Gateley Smithers Purslow have submitted three separate planning applications to rebuild the homes.

A design and access report for No 106, Nelson Street, said: “This is in support of reinstatement of a house which has been destroyed by a gas explosion at a neighbouring property

“The proposal seeks to reinstate the building back to its pre-destruction state in a like-for-like manner in terms of appearance, style, form, and size.

“The building consists of a three-bed end-terrace house and rear extension, with a living space, lounge, kitchen, and bathroom. “Our proposal has taken care to match the original in appearance, colour, size, materiality, and style.

“Minor changes to modern materials have been proposed due to availability and cost of certain materials, in particular the original painted
stone to pre-cast concrete painted black.”

At the time, the terrifying blast left residents fearing for their lives. One man said he thought his family were ‘going to die’, as residents described heroic locals trying to rescue the woman from the burning house amid the disastrous scenes.

Mushtaq Anwar, who was at home with his wife, his daughter, 21, and son, 17, at the time described the explosion as being ‘like an earthquake’.

He said: “All of the house was shaking and moving up and down.”

The three applications will be considered by planners at Bury council in the coming weeks.