The gas explosion on Tuesday morning in Oldham left scenes of utter devastation.

The blast, in the Shaw area of the town, left a child dead and a man with 80 per cent burns.

Shocked locals and emergency service personnel were confronted by scenes more akin to a war zone, with one house completely flattened and piles of rubble strewn across the street.

shaw explosion

A rescue worker and a dog walk past piles of rubble

Terrace properties were ripped apart after a suspected gas explosion, which occurred shortly after 11.15am.

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Oldham Shaw Explosion: One Child Dead And People Feared 'Trapped In Homes' After Blast (PICTURES)

Alex Perkins, who lives on Duchess Street, told the BBC: "It's like a war zone - tiles that have blown off literally across the streets, there's just debris everywhere. It's mad.

oldham explosion

The blast left scenes of total carnage in Oldham

"It's just empty, there's nothing there, just bricks on the floor, just rubble."

The explosion was heard across the town.

A local councillor told BBC News: “It’s real carnage.”

oldham explosion

Tragedy: A child was killed in the explosion, which it's thought was caused by a gas leak

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  • Oldham explosion

    A police officer places flowers inside a cordon close to the scene of a suspected gas blast in Buckley Street in the Shaw area of Oldham, Greater Manchester, in which two-year-old Jamie Heaton was killed and Anthony Partington, 27, was left with life-threatening burns after three terraced homes were reduced to rubble.

  • Emergency services personnel gather in the Shaw area of Oldham, in north-west England, on June 26, 2012, following a large explosion. There is currently no confirmation on the number of casualties or homes damaged. (Photo credit: AFP PHOTO / PAUL ELLISPAUL ELLIS/AFP/GettyImages)

  • Emergency services personnel gather in the Shaw area of Oldham, in north-west England, on June 26, 2012, following a large explosion. There is currently no confirmation on the number of casualties or homes damaged. (Photo credit: AFP PHOTO / PAUL ELLISPAUL ELLIS/AFP/GettyImages)

  • Search and rescue teams work at the scene of an explosion in Oldham, Greater Manchester on June 26, 2012 in Shaw, England. A child has died, one person is un-accounted for and one man has suffered eighty percent burns in the explosion which has destroyed two terraced houses. According to reports there was a 'gas escape' at 10:40. (Photo credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

  • A broken window in a house in the Shaw area of Oldham after a suspected gas explosion. (Photo credit: PA)

  • Fireman at the scene of a suspected gas explosion in the Shaw area of Oldham. (Photo credit: PA

  • (Photo courtesy of @amberrlaurenx/Twitter)

  • (Photo courtesy of Stuart Littleford, Saddleworth News.)

  • In this photograph taken by local resident Adam Pollard, rubble is strewn at the scene of an explosion in Oldham on June 26, 2012 in Shaw, England. A child has died, one person is un-accounted for and one man has suffered eighty percent burns in the explosion which has destroyed two terraced houses. According to reports there was a 'gas escape' at 10:40. (Photo by Adam Pollard/Getty Images)

  • Broken tiles and debris rest on roofs at the site of an explosion in Oldham, Greater Manchester on June 26, 2012 in Shaw, England. A child has died, one person is un-accounted for and one man has suffered eighty percent burns in the explosion which has destroyed two terraced houses. According to reports there was a 'gas escape' at 10:40. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

  • Aerial picture of the scene of the gas explosion which has flattened three houses on Buckley Street in the Shaw area of Oldham, Greater Manchester (Tuesday 26th June 2012). Police have confirmed that a young child has died and a man has been taken to hospital suffering from significant burns. Efforts are ongoing to establish whether any other people are trapped. Cavendish Press

  • Aerial picture of the scene of the gas explosion which has flattened three houses on Buckley Street in the Shaw area of Oldham, Greater Manchester (Tuesday 26th June 2012). Police have confirmed that a young child has died and a man has been taken to hospital suffering from significant burns. Efforts are ongoing to establish whether any other people are trapped. Cavendish Press

  • Aerial picture of the scene of the gas explosion which has flattened three houses on Buckley Street in the Shaw area of Oldham, Greater Manchester (Tuesday 26th June 2012). Police have confirmed that a young child has died and a man has been taken to hospital suffering from significant burns. Efforts are ongoing to establish whether any other people are trapped. Cavendish Press

  • Aerial picture of the scene of the gas explosion which has flattened three houses on Buckley Street in the Shaw area of Oldham, Greater Manchester (Tuesday 26th June 2012). Police have confirmed that a young child has died and a man has been taken to hospital suffering from significant burns. Efforts are ongoing to establish whether any other people are trapped. Cavendish Press

  • Aerial picture of the scene of the gas explosion which has flattened three houses on Buckley Street in the Shaw area of Oldham, Greater Manchester (Tuesday 26th June 2012). Police have confirmed that a young child has died and a man has been taken to hospital suffering from significant burns. Efforts are ongoing to establish whether any other people are trapped. Cavendish Press

  • Aerial picture of the scene of the gas explosion which has flattened three houses on Buckley Street in the Shaw area of Oldham, Greater Manchester (Tuesday 26th June 2012). Police have confirmed that a young child has died and a man has been taken to hospital suffering from significant burns. Efforts are ongoing to establish whether any other people are trapped.Cavendish Press

  • Aerial picture of the scene of the gas explosion which has flattened three houses on Buckley Street in the Shaw area of Oldham, Greater Manchester (Tuesday 26th June 2012). Police have confirmed that a young child has died and a man has been taken to hospital suffering from significant burns. Efforts are ongoing to establish whether any other people are trapped. Cavendish Press

  • Aerial picture of the scene of the gas explosion which has flattened three houses on Buckley Street in the Shaw area of Oldham, Greater Manchester (Tuesday 26th June 2012). Police have confirmed that a young child has died and a man has been taken to hospital suffering from significant burns. Efforts are ongoing to establish whether any other people are trapped. Cavendish Press

  • Oldham explosion

    A forensic officer (left) arrives close to the scene of a suspected gas blast in Buckley Street in the Shaw area of Oldham, Greater Manchester, in which two-year-old Jamie Heaton was killed and Anthony Partington, 27, was left with life-threatening burns after three terraced homes were reduced to rubble.

  • Oldham explosion

    A damaged car sits amongst debris on Oak Street close to the scene of a suspected gas blast in Buckley Street in the Shaw area of Oldham, Greater Manchester, in which two-year-old Jamie Heaton was killed and Anthony Partington, 27, was left with life-threatening burns after three terraced homes were reduced to rubble.

  • Oldham explosion

    Fireman at the scene of a suspected gas explosion in the Shaw area of Oldham.

  • Oldham explosion

    Flowers inside a cordon close to the scene of a suspected gas blast in Buckley Street in the Shaw area of Oldham, Greater Manchester, in which two-year-old Jamie Heaton was killed and Anthony Partington, 27, was left with life-threatening burns after three terraced homes were reduced to rubble.