Residents in a Banbury street were woken up and decamped by fire crews following an explosion near their homes in the early hours of this morning.

A gas cylinder had caught fire in garages off Edmunds Road, setting a caravan alight and damaging a neighbouring fence and shed.

Twelve firefighters from two crews fought the blaze, after those living in nearby homes were woken and asked to move to the front of their homes, away from the fire.

Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service were alerted at 12.16am.

Incident Commander, John Callaway said, “We always suspect the presence of gas cylinders at this kind of incident and our first consideration is for the safety of members of the public and our fire crews.”

The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated by Thames Valley Police.

  • Were you caught up in this incident? If so give the Oxford Mail a call on 01865 425445 or email news@oxfordmail.co.uk