PETROL vapour ignited in a bonfire to cause an explosion that shook nearby homes in Leominster.
The blast, just after 7pm yesterday (Sun) evening in a yard off Westbury Street, was heard at some distance across the town.
Such was the force that staff and patrons at the adjacent Clifton Bingo hall came outside believing an HGV had collided with the front of the venue.
There were initial fears that gas cylinders were involved.
Firefighters forced their way through a fence to reach the yard from a car park behind the Clifton and found a well-established rubbish set in a pit.
Station Commander Phil Major, of Hereford Fire Station confirmed that the substanstial blast was caused by the ignition of vapour from petrol poured onto the fire as an accelerant.
Though paramedics were on scene, no injuries were reported.
The extent of the blast meant firefighters going up into the roof space of the Clifton to check for structual damage.
None was found and the hall re-opened soon afterwards.
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