Man, 85, killed in horror house explosion as family pay tribute to 'kind and loving' relative

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A "kind and loving" elderly man was killed in a devastating house explosion in Bedford.Paul Swales, 85, sadly lost his life in the blast at his home on Cleat Hill, which occurred on October 19.

Another casualty of the disaster, a woman in her 80s who is related to Mr. Swales, was seriously injured and remains hospitalised after being rescued from the fire.The Swales family honoured the memory of Paul with touching words: "Paul was a kind and loving man who we dearly miss.

We thank the emergency services for their professionalism and the kind and heartfelt messages that have been received by everyone."They also expressed gratitude to a hero who helped in the aftermath: "A special thanks goes to the gentleman that bravely pulled our family member from the fire.

Our thoughts are also with the people that have been impacted since and we hope the distress will soon end."Information emerged when Bedfordshire Police disclosed that high levels of natural gas were detected in the soil following the catastrophe, leading to evacuations in Cleat Hill's vicinity.