Fire extinguished at holiday cottage

We have extinguished a fire at a holiday cottage in Alton this afternoon (29 December) following reports of a gas explosion.

Crews from Longton and Hanley were sent to an address on Bradley Lane, Threapwood, shortly after 12.40pm. Our colleagues from Staffordshire Police and West Midlands Ambulance Service also went to the scene.

Firefighters used hose reel jets to extinguish the fire, which was put out around 1.30pm. Emergency services carried out a search in the area to make sure everyone was accounted for in the neighbouring properties.

A woman, in her 50s, suffered serious burns at the scene. She was taken to hospital by air ambulance.

As a result of the explosion, the building was destroyed. Gas engineers came out to make sure the area was left safe.

An investigation into what caused the explosion is ongoing and emergency services will remain at the scene.