Yahoo Finance Mum and two kids fight for life after BBQ canister explodes
A mum and her two children have been critically injured in a huge house fire after police say a barbecue canister exploded in the hot summer sun.
Jess Williams, 31, and her two children, Reuben, five, and Elliot, two, were at their home in Seven Sisters, South Wales, on June 24 when the blaze suddenly ripped through the building just after 2pm (local time).
Neighbours rushed over when they heard a loud bang and Ms Williams screaming from inside the home
Ms Williams was found lying behind her fridge freezer and was rushed to nearby Morriston Hospital in critical condition.
Reuben, five, and Elliot, two, were airlifted to a hospital 80 miles away. All three remain in serious condition.
Her partner Mike David, 33, was not at home.
Ms Williams’ family say her condition deteriorated in hospital when she got an infection affecting her kidneys.
But she was treated with dialysis and antibiotics and started to produce more white blood cells.
"Thank you all for your kind words and concerns regarding my daughter Jessica,” her dad Jeff Williams said a couple of days after the fire.
"Seeing the boys today and the situation my daughter is in is breaking my heart and we are all praying for them all to be back as a family."
Gas canister is to blame, police say
Police say the "most likely" cause of the terrifying explosion was ageing LPG gas canisters - usually used for barbecues and caravans - kept outside the house .
"The cause of the explosion has not been deemed suspicious and the most likely explanation is a combination of ageing LPG gas equipment and environmental conditions,” a spokeswoman for South Wales Police said.
LPG stands for Liquid Pressure Gas - meaning gas that is stored in cylinders or bottles and not supplied through pipes.
"This was a tragic incident and our thoughts remain with the family,” South Wales Police detective inspector Gareth Eynon said.
"The police investigation has now concluded there was no criminal cause of the explosion.”
An investigation into the cause of the explosion carried out by GTC, an independent utility infrastructure and networks provider, has shown that it does not appear "to be gas network related".
Neighbours are displaced
Neighbours have been able to return to their homes after structural surveys deemed them safe.
But three homes have been badly affected and temporary accomodation has been provided.
"I am pleased that nearby properties have now undergone structural surveys and the residents whose homes who have been deemed safe have now returned,” Neath MP Christina Rees said.
"I am working closely with the council's social services team to arrange temporary accommodation for those who need it.
"All my thoughts continue to be with those who have been injured in this tragic incident – we are all willing you on to make a full and speedy recovery."
A fundraising page has already raised up to £20,000 for the family.
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