Flat explosion was 'suspicious'

Firefighters are yet to uncover the cause of the blast

An explosion that destroyed a shop belonging to one of Britain's richest men and injured three people was suspicious, police have said.

A flat in Bell Lane, Hendon, exploded in the early hours, damaging a shop owned by property tycoon Leo Noe, who is on the Sunday Times Rich List.

One man is critically ill in hospital with burns and two others suffered injuries from the force of the blast.

Twenty firefighters put out the fire and evacuated nearby buildings.

Two police officers were on patrol in the area when the explosion happened but the cause is not yet known.

Glass injuries

A man seen emerging from the flat is in a hospital burns unit in a critical condition, police said.

A woman, aged 26, suffered glass injuries to her leg and a man, 31, sustained a back injury believed to be from the force of the blast.

The explosion and resulting fire caused massive damage to the premises Det Sgt Mark Tyrrell Metropolitan Police

Both casualties live in nearby properties and were treated at the scene by paramedics.

An elderly woman whose house backs on to the shop was treated for shock after her windows blew out.

A woman who lives in a road near the shop said: "There was a mighty bang.

"We thought it was probably a bomb going off, then (we heard) shattering glass which was my daughter's bedroom window being wrecked and all the car alarms going off."

Mr Noe arrived at the scene in his Bentley to inspect the damage, having come straight from a wedding.

Mr Noe is reported to have left a wedding to attend the scene

Mr Noe's spokesman Shimon Cohen said: "The explosion took place in the flat, which is not owned by Leo Noe.

"The shop was damaged, but we are not concerned about that - we are concerned about the people who were injured."

A fire investigation team is working to discover the cause of the explosion.

Det Sgt Mark Tyrrell of the Metropolitan Police said: "The explosion and resulting fire caused massive damage to the premises and has affected properties in the surrounding area.

"It is a miracle that not more people were hurt as a result."

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Three people injured in explosion