Two people dead after explosion at house in Bristol

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Avon and Somerset police declare major incident and say cause is being treated as suspicious

A man and a woman have died after a “suspicious” explosion at a house in Bristol.

Avon and Somerset police have declared a major incident, which happened at about 6.30am on Sunday.

“At about 6.17am, we received a call to attend a domestic-related incident at a residential address in Sterncourt Road,” Supt Matt Ebbs said.

“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. Our thoughts are very much with them.”

Three other people – a man, a woman and a child – were taken to hospital and treated for minor injuries.

Photographs from the scene show a number of emergency service vehicles outside the house, including police cars, ambulances and a bomb disposal van, and neighbours reported seeing armed police officers outside.

The cause was being treated as suspicious, police said, but they have ruled out terror as a motive.

A cordon is in place in the area around the property in the Frenchay area of the city and there are local road closures in place. Residents of nearby houses have been evacuated to a temporary rest centre at a nearby Harvester pub.

Police said that emergency services and Bristol city council “have been following well-rehearsed plans in response” to the major incident.

“Our inquiries are at an early stage, but at this point we are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident,” Ebbs said.

“It’s also important to confirm we are not treating this as a suspected terrorism incident,” the force added in a statement.

One resident told Bristol Live that he had heard a loud bang at about 6.30am, and then went outside, where armed police shouted at him to “get inside, get inside”.

“We have been told to stay in the Harvester until further notice,” he said. “We may not be able to go home tonight.”

“There was nothing immediately that I could see, but within minutes the police were arriving, attending the property,” another resident, Bradley Shepherd, told the BBC. “We had all emergency services there within 10 minutes, armed police.

“Within maybe about 15 or 20 minutes, once they had it cordoned off, they were instructing all the neighbourhood, the majority are probably 60-plus years of age, to actually evacuate their properties and take residence in the local Harvester.”

Officers were carrying out inquiries at a property in Speedwell, which is linked to the man who died. No evacuations were necessary in the area, police said.

The force also said the cordon had been put in place as a precaution “to help keep the public safe”, adding that there was not believed to have been any significant damage to neighbouring properties.

Specialist searches were also carried out by the army’s explosive ordnance disposal unit as a precaution.

“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,” a police spokesperson said. “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 cordon surrounding the property is expected to be in place until at least Sunday evening.

Ebbs said: “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.

“To manage expectations, we think the cordon will remain in place until at least the evening and we’ll continue to provide updates when 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.

“This remains a complex and sensitive investigation and we’ll continue to provide updates as and when they’re available.”

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