Sue Watkins was sitting in her garden in Newton Longville when she heard two very loud thuds and felt the ground shake shortly after 09:30 BST on Thursday. On Cobb Hall Road in Milton Keynes, a bungalow then caught fire and collapsed after what Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue described as a suspected gas explosion.
The injured man was passed into the care of South Central Ambulance Service and was being treated in hospital, Thames Valley Police said. Nearby residents were evacuated from their homes while cordons were put in place and people were told to avoid the area as emergency services worked at the scene.
Sue Watkins on Cobb Hall Road
Watkins said, "There was a bungalow on fire, black; front had been blown off; roof was gone." She also said, "There was a man sitting on the ground outside looking dazed and shocked, people around looking after him." Her account matched the first reports of damage around the property and showed how quickly the scene changed for anyone nearby.
Thames Valley Police said it was called to Cobb Hall Road at about 09:44 BST after reports of an explosion, fire and collapse of a property. SGN said its engineers had isolated the supply to affected premises and were carrying out safety checks in the local area, a step that affected the homes around the bungalow rather than only the damaged property itself.
Buckinghamshire safety checks
The blast is being treated as a suspected gas explosion, but the exact cause has not been set out. That distinction leaves the response focused on immediate safety work: isolating the supply, checking nearby premises, and keeping the area closed while the scene is made safe.
For residents in the cordoned area, the practical next step is to stay clear until emergency services and SGN finish their work. The scene on Cobb Hall Road remains the centre of that response, with the damage, evacuation and hospital treatment all tied to the same Thursday morning event.
