20 homes may be demolished after Oldham explosion

Published by Max Salsbury for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Communities

Up to 20 homes affected by last month’s explosion in Oldham may face demolition.

The blast on Buckley Street, Shaw claimed the life of two-year-old Jamie Heaton, who was in the house next door to the property that exploded.

Another victim, Andrew Partington, 27, remains unconscious in hospital where he is being treated for serious burns.

A 32-year-old man who inspected a boiler at the property that exploded has been bailed by police after being arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

Three homes were immediately flattened in the devastation, while 38 remain cordoned off.

First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO) has confirmed that although the house that blew up was not one of its own, five of its tenants’ properties were affected.

In a statement FCHO said: “All but one customer have now returned to their homes. The remaining customer is unable to return as their home is within the cordon which remains in place around the scene, pending assessment from the HSE.

“The customer has found short-term accommodation and we are working with them to provide alternative accommodation in the medium to long term. 

“Clearly, many other families were affected in the area and our thoughts are with them and particularly with the family of Jamie Heaton.

“The damage to FCHO properties is predominantly windows, doors and roofs and early estimates of the cost of damage is around £20-30k.

“At this stage these are estimates only and subject to change.  Again, many other properties have been affected and the total cost of the incident is unknown and won’t be for sometime.”

Cath Green, FCHO Chief Executive, visited the site last Friday and spoke directly with affected customers on the outskirts of the site.

She said: “Our staff and partners have been involved on the frontline supporting, advising, rehousing affected residents and offering practical help; clearing debris, carrying out repairs and inspecting all the damaged homes.

“As we move into the recovery stage we are keeping customers constantly updated when there is a development to the situation and we are continuing to keep our lines of communications open.

“Customers can contact us through our local housing officers, or in person at the advice centre set up in the local library which is open daily.”