A 79-year-old woman named Doreen Rees-Bibb died as a result of the explosion on Dulwich Road in #Kingstanding on Sunday evening.

A man rescued from the house is in critical but stable condition in the hospital.

The West Midlands Fire Service, West Midlands Police, and The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) issued a joint statement saying the most likely cause was “accidental” and “inadvertent.

Demolition work yesterday afternoon (29 June) enabled investigators to safely access and test sections of the property’s internal gas piping,” the Fire Service added.

They concluded that the explosion was most likely caused by the unintentional ignition of a large escape of gas from a pipework joint.

West Midlands Police’s own work continues, as officers work to formally identify the woman found dead at the scene and gather evidence for HM Coroner,” the statement continued.

Police family liaison officers continue to assist those who have been directly affected.

While these investigations are ongoing, the Health and Safety Executive will continue to investigate whether any work-related activities contributed to the incident.

The statement comes just days after a neighbour told ITV Central about rescuing a man from a burning house.

After hearing the explosion on Dulwich Road, Harley Seccombe said he ‘acted on instinct.’