First men at explosion: 'Nobody gets left behind'

Two former servicemen who were the first to enter a house which blew up in a suspected gas explosion say they felt the "need" to help.

A man and two women are in hospital with serious injuries following the blast on Hugh Street in Whitehaven, Cumbria, on New Year's Eve.

John Dunleavey told BBC Radio Cumbria he had been at home when he heard something "untoward" and saw a "plume of dust".

Darren Parsley said they risked going inside because they saw no fire, the house still had its ceiling intact and both men had an army background.

Mr Dunleavey said it was "chaos" outside.

The windows on the house opposite the explosion had shattered, he said, and car alarms were going off.

He recalled "people running around everywhere".

After entering the "pretty dark" building, Mr Parsley found a man on the floor towards the kitchen.

Mr Dunleavey said the man was in a "state of shock" and so they helped him up.

The man then told them there were two women still stuck upstairs.

But as the stairs had been destroyed, Mr Dunleavey had to shout for the women.

One eventually called back to say they were trapped, he said.

Mr Dunleavey said he reassured them the emergency services were on their way and would be able to help.

He said the experience had triggered his post-traumatic stress disorder, but that his time in the army had drilled into him: "Nobody gets left behind."

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