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Leeds pub explosion: What caused the blast?
Police, fire and gas experts were today trying to find the exact cause of a blast which destroyed a Leeds pub opposite the main gates of St James's Hospital
The former Florence Nightingale pub in Beckett Street was reduced to rubble after a gas blast ripped through the building.
Today the remains of the pub were being checked by sniffer dogs to ensure the building was empty at the time of the blast and before demolition which is due to start later today.
Beckett Street was still closed this morning.
Five people were hurt in the incident and were treated yards away in the hospital's A & E department for minor injuries. Police say no one was seriously hurt as debris rained down on cars parked nearby.
Police and firefighters launched a major operation immediately after the explosion to protect hospital patients, staff and residents in the densely populated area.
The force of the blast sent tremors through three 18-story blocks of flats which overlook the Mansfield Ales pub on Beckett Street.
The pub roof was blown off, upper floor windows were shattered and debris strewn across the immediate area causing damage to several cars.
Windows were also blown out at the neighbouring Fountain Head pub which was open for business at the time of the incident.
Residents in the flats said they could smell gas in the hours before the explosion.
A Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust spokesman said that although Beckett Street – one of the main access routes to Jimmy's – had been closed, A & E was still functioning normally.
Residents said complaints had been made earlier in the day at the Fountain Head that they could smell gas.
Shakespeare Court resident Nicola Monaghan, 33, said: "I could feel the whole building shake and the noise of the blast was deafening."
Film student Mojfaba Yousetipout, 29, caught the scene on camera moments after the blast.
He said: "I couldn't believe how much damage was caused. There was smoke everywhere and the pub was just gone and smashed to bits."
A United Utilities spokesman said the gas network firm had NOT received any reports of a gas leak. The first they knew about it was after the explosion.
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Weather for Leeds
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
