Elderly woman 'badly shaken' after air fragrance exploded in her NI home

DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley said the woman was in her living room when the fragrance can exploded in her kitchen - completely destroying it.

The incident happened at the Selshion Parade area of Corcrain, Portadown on Monday afternoon.

Mr Buckley said the item had been close to an oven and must have overheated and exploded.

“Her kitchen has been completely destroyed. The explosion was so big it also knocked down a stud wall and a door,” said Mr Buckley.

He said he had been speaking to the woman’s family and she has been left badly shaken by what happened but was physically uninjured.

"It appears she was in the living room when the can exploded in the kitchen," he said.

“It is a lesson to everyone to be very careful, particularly with aerosols and fragrance cans. They are highly flammable,” he said.

The NI Fire and Rescue Service said it had received a call on Monday December 30 at 3:32pm.

Two Appliances from Portadown Fire Station and one Appliance from Lurgan Fire Station attended the incident.

An NIFRS spokesperson said yesterday: “Firefighters have been called to reports of a gas explosion at a house in Portadown. Firefighters set up a cordon and used a hose reel jet to extinguish the fire. Firefighters have used gas monitors on the property and adjoining properties and all readings are now normal. A gas engineer has been tasked to attend the incident.”