‘The house blew up in seconds’: how a gas blast affected one Welsh family

The smell was not overpowering when Jess Williams returned home before an explosion that led to 70% burns

• Risk of deadly gas blasts rising as UK homeowners skip checks

There was a smell of gas when Jess Williams, a nursery school worker from south Wales, went into her kitchen on a warm June day in 2020. It wasn't overpowering, until she reached for the oven.

I touched the dial and it instantly exploded," she told the Guardian. It just blew the whole house up in seconds. It was just rubble."