Images from the scene on Silk Mill Drive in Tinshill show that the whole upper storey of the property has been destroyed. The explosion happened just before 3pm this afternoon. A man suffered injuries which are not thought to be life-threatening. Stephen Marham, who lives three doors away from the property, said: "I was upstairs talking to my wife. I just heard a massive bang and the house shook. "My initial reaction was to run downstairs but as I got to the bottom I could see the flats. My partner just screamed 'the flat's gone'. I ran out of the house and saw a man struggling towards me. "I could see he had been caught up in it. It was the man who lived in the flat. He was in a bit of a mess so I laid him on the floor in the recovery position. "I took my jacket off and got a blanket. Another neighbour got one. He's been very, very lucky. "There were two individuals in the house when it exploded. "I went into auto-pilot you don't think about the consequences. I knew not to do anything heroic. I could smell gas after it had blown."