A YOUNG family would almost certainly have died within seconds if they had been at home when a massive explosion devastated their house in the middle of the night.
It sent glass from the front windows flying across the road in Merrivale, South Benfleet, on Saturday night, and left the back of the house completely open.
Miraculously, the semi-detached house nextdoor, where pensioners Ron and Phyllis Allain<cor> were getting ready for bed, remained virtually untouched, save for one cracked window pane.
Fire investigators believe the blast at the house where a young mum lived with her sons, aged eight and five, was caused by a gas explosion, perhaps caused by a faulty boiler, but have not ruled out criminal activity.
There was nobody in the house at the time.
More than 20 firefighters from Canvey and Hadleigh attended the scene.
Full story in Monday's Echo
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