Explosion ripped roof off house

The house was empty when the explosion happened

An investigation has started into the cause of an explosion which ripped the roof off a house.

The explosion and fire at the house in Southend, Essex, caused thousands of pounds damage.

Initially firefighters feared the owner was caught inside.

Officers had difficulty dealing with the fire because they could not get into the property.

It later emerged that the man had been staying elsewhere and was using the property as a store.

Building inspectors are examining the damaged house

"There was definitely no-one in there which was very lucky," said a fire service spokeswoman.

"The owner turned up later on. I'm not sure where he had been staying, but it seems the house was used to store things in.

"We're now trying to discover the cause and we will be looking to see whether there was anything in the house which could have caused this.

"At the moment we just don't know."

Work has started to remove an unsafe wall and chimney stack.

The house was in the middle of a residential area and nearby homes were evacuated following the explosion.

Firefighters said there had been some damage to a neighbouring house.