Photos: Explosion Damages Devonshire Property
[Updated: There was an explosion at an Ariel Sands, Devonshire residence, which caused very significant damage to the property, and also shattered windows of surrounding residences. No one was injured, but a 46 year old woman was treated for shock.]
At sometime around 6pm this evening [Oct 16] there was was an incident in the Ariel Sands area of Devonshire, with residents telling Bernews they heard what sounded like some form of an explosion.
It is unclear exactly has transpired, however there is debris in the road [pictured below] and unofficial reports indicate it may have been some form of gas tank explosion.
Details are extremely sketchy, however there are indications that one person may have sustained some form of minor injury, which is said to be non life threatening, maybe a case of shock or similar. That information is not confirmed by any official sources, however the police are on scene, and we will update as able.
Update 7.04pm: The police are monitoring access, however we are getting closer to the actual point of the explosion, and there is a heavy amount of debris including what appears to be blinds and sections of a roof.
Update 7.14pm: We can now see the property, and the damage is very evident. Windows have been blown out, walls are damaged/missing, and the roof is also extremely damaged. Photos to come shortly….
Update 7.17pm: The police said there was an explosion at an Ariel Sands, Devonshire residence. There were no reported injuries. The full police statement is below.
Around 6:25pm on Wednesday, October 16th police officers as well as Bermuda Fire & Rescue Service personnel attended a reported explosion at an Ariel Sands, Devonshire residence.
There were no reported injuries; however apparently there was significant damage to the residence involved. In addition, surrounding residences had windows shattered as a result.
Inquiries into the cause of this explosion are ongoing.
Update 7.29pm: Photos of the property added below
Update 8.18pm: When questioned about the statement that no one was injured as unofficial reports indicated that at least one person was taken away for medical treatment, the police confirmed that at least one person was taken for medical care, and the person[s] is believed to be suffering from shock, and was not actually injured. When asked if it was a gas tank that exploded, the police declined to answer saying the investigation is still in the early stages.
Update 8.21pm: Some people can be seen leaving the area with small suitcases, with it appearing they are residents leaving to stay elsewhere for the evening. An additional photo of the damaged property is below, with a full gallery to come later tonight.
Update 8.24pm: A Fire Service spokesperson confirmed one person was admitted to the hospital. He said the cause of the explosion is under investigation. Michael Freisenbruch from Freisenbruch Meyer Insurance was also spotted on the scene.
Update 8.31pm: Some of the property appears to have been blown quite a distance. Our general layman estimate is that some sections appear to have been blown around 100ft away from the property.
Update 8.36pm: The photo below is of a neighbouring property, showing the window damage they sustained.
Update 9.19pm: Speaking with one of the neighbours, he said he heard a massive explosion, and initially thought lightning struck the house. He said at first he was in shock, and said “it looked like a bomb had gone off.” He said the residence adjacent had some of its windows and door blown off, and also indicated he thinks it may have been a gas cylinder exploding.
Update 11.24pm: Photo gallery added here.
Update 12.37am: Statements by Fire Service spokesperson Lt. Leonard Davis and Police Media Relations spokesperson Robin Simmons:
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Category: Accidents and fires, Accidents/Fires, All, News, Photos
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We felt the shake of what ever happened at Devonshire Bay this evening.
felt and heard at Somersfield thought it was a cannon practice for 11 November
Felt in while @ Lindo’s Devonshire
Same at Loyal Hill. Frightening!
I live right by lindos and didn’t hear a thing! Weird, I’m glad everyone is okay though.
I live on Middle Road, near Belvin’s Grocery Store and I heard it!
Holy crap I heard that from my yard just outside town.
From Devonshire Bay, I thought my roof fell off!
While @ Limdos thought someone hit the car!
Oops! Meant “Lindo’s”
Glad no one is seriously injured. I heard and felt the pressure from the explosion at Collectors Hill.
Shook the house up by Lindo’s….that was no little blast!
Sumbody blew dey BBQ up hahahahahahahah
R u frigging serious this is not something funny; people could have seriously hurt or worst. If u dont have anything constructive to say SHUT YOUR PIEHOLE A*******
I agree, what an a@# !!!!
But they weren’t… one person was treated for minor shock… as has been reported. People always have to be so uptight, relax a little.
please get a new sense of humor.
what an as* ho** comment completely stupid
Haha, please grow up.
I’m on st.patricks road and I herd and felt it!!!
Pit was just on the news, that condo in bolwen up!
Well thank goodness Ariel Sands has close down since just after Fabian, and there wasn’t any body in the properties around, caue it coulda been much worst hankfully no1 was seriously injured and its probably from the heat consuming in them closed up dorms and cottages that’s caused the gas tank to explode hopefully they will check the whole Ariel Sands property to make sure none of the others are about to go off… Cause that’s years of heat boiling up in them… Good luck
You do realize people live in Ariel Sands and “years of heat” doesn’t build up in a gas container right?
you sound dumb, ariel sands is open.
Reality Check, please go back under whatever rock you’ve been living under because you sound really silly and uninformed right now.
This was a huge explosion, we thought a transformer had blown!
That’s pretty lame thought, btw.
?
That was crazy!!! The entire property shook. Devonshire Bay trembled!!! Sonic BOOOOM!!!
I felt felt it up by Zbm
Haha. You are such an idiot. If brains was dynamite You won’t have enough to blow your nose.
Haha, does not have enough brains to fill up a sparrow’s kneecap.
Leave out the negative comments. It’s sad you find enough time in your life to belittle other people.
I live at Gables Lane on South Rd near Tee St. The explosion shook my house!
I had just past the florist travelling east it felt like I had driven over a huge bump and I felt pressure in my ears. Noticed several other cars stopping as I pulled over to check my car.
was this explosion from Ariel sands ? I thought this establishment was cloded down…….
it was at the condos located on the property of ariel sands – at the top. the white ones. Ariel Sands itself, the guest houses/hotel – the pink buildings is indeed closed down.
I live in Warwick and I felt a big gust of wind and heard a pop noise like microwave pop corn!!!!
oops passed!!
It’s ‘drove or rode pass’. But you will get credit for realizing and correcting your grammar.
Since you want to be picky, there was nothing wrong with what they said after the correction. It was “drove” since they checked the “car” at the end of the comment and it was a spelling error not grammatical.
Sorry but you are definitely wrong
Past was correct just FYI
http://www.grammar-monster.com/easily_confused/past_passed.htm
Actually “passed” would have been correct. Not that it’s a big deal. “I had just passed the florist”. Gigi corrected it before the discussion started. Rawonion is completely wrong.
I heard it in Bay… I thought it was thunder.
Sumtn this strange shouldnt be taken for granted. . When has it happened before?, and jus case its ariel sands, dnt mean there cant be foul play.
Why don’t we wait until the investigation is done, could have just been s**** workmanship waiting to happen, kinda like how Niches ran my electrical cables right next to my gas line. Although I will say this seems a bit strange since it appears the explosion came from inside and since nobody was injured I would assume nobody was home.
Happened about 20-25 years ago at the Waterlot Inn.
Waterlot Inn’s explosion was caused by a gas cylinder being accidentally dropped when being delivered. At the time I lived over on the South Shore, heard the explosion and saw the huge fireball in the sky.
We felt it in Devonshire near Green Acres/Devon Springs, it was a tremendous boom!!! The whole neighborhood shook and came out immediately to investigate
Has Al Qaeda found their way to BDA
That wasn’t very nice.
We live in brimstone hill!!!! Our windows and door shake and the presure and smell was pretty strong!! The all neighbour came out of the houses!,,, was laike a huge explision bomb!!!!!!
That no-one was killed in an explosion like that is absolutely miraculous. Just to be nearby would blow your eardrums out not to mention the injury from flying debris.
The residents must be horribly shaken and I hope the one reported injured is ok .
It will be interesting to learn what the cause was and why there was no fire afterwards. Maybe we will all be able to learn something that we can apply to our own safety.
We live in somerset and we didnt hear anything!!!! Dam it!!!
I heard it on Brighton Hill – my whole house shook. I thought my gardeners struck a powerline of some sort and sent them flying on top of my roof. When i asked them if they heard that or even felt it, they told me it was thunder. Sorry mate – thunder has never shaken my house before! And for those of you who don’t know Ariel Sands is a residential area and has been for the last 4 or so years.
I aint heard a thing.
Thank goodness no one was injured.
Our house shook and we are opposite the Botanical Gardens.
Just a pilot light and some excess gas.
Now off to Fairmont……………..
only rich whites up der…
So?
Racist idiot.
And? People still could’ve been badly injured or even killed. Their race is completely irrelevant to any of this.
Another example of how it’s apparently impossible for a black person to be a racist.
oh come on Sandy, please. now you too are generalizing perhaps better to have said SOME people….. pot & kettle..
Sandy Bottom didn’t generalize. He (or she) said “a black person.” That is specific, not general.
No pot &kettle. I didn’t generalise, and I didn’t make a racist statement.
come on yout’ not a cool, fair or decent statement on either side of the fence, nor a relevant one. you putting down one race as well as others…if you really consider what your statement says.
They bleed red blood just like you fool!! I take it you are “just” a hood rat!!
Felt it near inferno. Thought it was an earthquake!
I drove past just as it happened. It was really loud and shook my car. I had vistors from Tennessee with me and we were heading to town for dinner. We heard the loud bang and thought a tyre blew on the car and stopped immediately to check the car. Everything check out ok on the car so we continued our journey. It frightened us all but I think my visitors were more shaken up as this in their first time visitng Bermuda and they were wondering what was going on! I’m glad and THANK GOD that no one was seriously injured.
I just returned home and found out there was a big bang in Devonshire. At around 6 pm I was riding my bike along Watlington Road in Devonshire and a car had passed me going the opposite direction. I felt a bang and first thought something hit my helmet. Then thought it was more than that and assumed the car driver must have turned on their bass speakers in their car. The bang jolted me. So the explosion was felt on Middle Road as I had just turnd onto Watlington Road. I’m hoping the person who was admitted to KEMH is fine.
I suspect a hot water tank explosion [failure]. Hope the occupant(s) recover quickly.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but my gas cylinders are on the outside of my house. If they leaked most of the gas would rapidly disperse in the air and if not any explosion would likely blow the wall in, not out.
But then, an old stove top with the pilot lights snuffed out and the gas on could build up quickly. A bit hard for the stove top to do that on its own though. I wonder what the insurer might think.
61 comments and no one died. If this was a shooting at 42nd st there would be hardly a murmur. And I am also amazed that it has not been blamed on the PLP yet but I am sure it will come.
Oh shut up, there’s always a good number of posts on shootings and accidents.
P.S. I blame the PLP, its all their fault. Happy?
guys was in saint davids paintin a house with out headphones and ear protectors on and we herd it dun
Someone has been watching too much Breaking Bad.
Wow, I don’t ever remember hearing of a house blowing up in Bermy? This is a first
this has happened before, a house in cavendish heights many years ago a water heater explosion wrecked the entire house, lifted the roof lintel and all right in the air.
I was in the fire department at the time and remember it as there was no fire from the explosion, much the same as this incident.
Maybe some 20 years ago, my mom’s uncle up round Modern Mart decided to fog his house with multiple cans of Baygon… jammed them in the cabinets, spraying away, and left the house for a few hours. Upon his return, he walks in the door, flips on the kitchen light switch, and gets blown out into his yard! Explosion launched the roof in one piece and it landed a few inches off its original position. Uncle lost his eyebrows, but otherwise unharmed. Glad no one appears to be seriously injured this time round either.
thank God nobody was hurt, I live on Hermitage lane & it was so loud all the neighbors came out & was wondering what happened. again thank GOD nobody was hurt.
I felt that “whoosh” around our house. We went out to investigate! Could not figure it out! Until this a.m. when the news came on. We live Upland Street.
Wow,those places must be built cheaply!All that damage.