The blast next door in Kingstanding could have killed him

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The next-door neighbour of the house which exploded in Kingstanding says a toilet-break "saved his life" from the blast. A woman died and a man has been left fighting for his life in hospital after the house was consumed in flames at around 8.30pm last night.

Lami Charlery had been playing on his computer in the living room but nipped to the toilet when the blast happened. The explosion brought the ceiling down right in the spot where he had been sitting.

Lami, 40, told BirminghamLive : "The ceiling came down and the glass came in. If I was in any other room I wouldn’t be alive. I’m lucky to be alive.

READ MORE: Woman found dead at scene of huge explosion in Birmingham

"There was a big explosion. I was holding onto the door and fell back. I didn’t know what was going on. The ceiling had come through.

"I ran outside and heard someone out the back shouting ‘help’. There was about 10 to 15 of us. When we went to help him, we could hear it (the fire sizzling)."

Mr Charlery said that people helped the injured man out of the property before emergency services arrived. The dad-of-two said he is thankful to the community that has helped the six families who have been evacuated following the explosion in finding somewhere to sleep for the night.

The displaced families were put up at The Kingstanding Inn. "I’m still in shock at the moment,” he said.

“I lose breath. I’m not in the right place right now. Everyone has been so kind - very nice people to help us. It takes something like this for you to know that everyone cares."

Mark Pearman, 49, described how 30 people rushed to help rescue the man from the house. He said: "We heard a massive blast and our bodies shook. Blankets of smoke covered the street. There was a pile of rubble where the house should have been and massive flames.

"About 30 young people rushed to help. One group were at the front, the other went around to the back. We formed a human chain and passed each other rubble piece by piece.

"A few of the young lads held a wooden beam up and a woman, a resident, who is a sports physio, pulled the man out. They put him on a mattress which had blown out from the house and the emergency services arrived."