Pictured: Hero neighbours who pulled woman from rubble after Edinburgh explosion house blast that killed pensioner, 84, and rocked street ‘like an earthquake’

• Ross Aitchison, 38, and Steven MacLennan saved woman from Edinburgh blast
• Baberton explosion last night killed man, 84, and rocked street like ‘earthquake’

The hero neighbours who pulled a woman from the rubble after an explosion at a house in Edinburgh that killed a pensioner and rocked a neighbourhood like a ‘mini earthquake’ last night have been pictured.

Police Scotland said officers were called to the Baberton area of the city at 10.25pm on Friday following ‘multiple reports’ of the incident which destroyed the home.

A man, 84, died after the horrific house explosion on Baberton Mains Avenue, police said.

Heroes, dad Ross Aitchison, 38, and Army reservist Steven MacLennan, 50, described how they pulled a woman from the rubble of the explosion.

Mr Aitchison said that he and another man – thought to be Mr MacLennan – ‘pulled the woman from the rubble’. He said the situation was ‘very scary’.

HERO NEIGHBOURS: Heroes, dad Ross Aitchison (left), 38, and Army reservist Steven MacLennan (right), 50, described how they pulled a woman from the rubble of a house explosion in Edinburgh last night

An aerial photo showing the destruction in the Baberton area of Edinburgh after a house explosion last night

An an elderly man has died after an explosion at a house in Edinburgh rocked a neighbourhood like a ‘mini earthquake ‘ last night

Police officers at the scene on Baberton Mains Avenue, Edinburgh, after an 84-year-old man has died following an explosion at a house on Friday night

Mr Aitchison’s son Ben told EdinburghLive that he received a phone call from his father at the time of the explosion last night saying: ‘Did you hear that big bang?’

Ben, 19, said that his father told him the house exploded after a suspected ‘gas leak’.

Ross was one of the first to arrive on the scene as he only lives around half a minute from where it happened, Ben said.

His son said that by the time he arrived he had already rescued a woman from the debris with the help of another local. ‘Luckily she was still alive,’ he added.

Ross said Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said five appliances had attended and two people had been rescued from the ruins of the home before their arrival.

Army reservist Mr MacLennan, 50, also told of how he helped to save the injured 43-year-old woman from the scene of the blast.

Mr MacLennan said he had been relaxing at his house on Friday night when he heard a huge blast erupt from a nearby street at around 10.25pm.

He sprinted to Baberton Mains Avenue where he found a home had been completely demolished in the explosion.

But when he heard someone crying for help, he bravely crawled into a gap in the debris to find a woman pinned to the ground by rubble as a fire burned around her.

And using his 20 years of experience in the armed forces, he then helped her out of the destroyed residence to safety.

Mr Aitchison’s son Ben (right with his father) said that by the time he arrived he had already rescued a woman from the debris with the help of another local

The property was reduced to rubble and debris was strewn across the residential street in Baberton after the blast at around 10.25pm

The shockwave from the blast shattered windows from houses across the street

The force of the explosion ripped the house apart causing irreparable damage

Gas engineers at the scene of the explosion on Baberton Mains Avenue, Edinburgh, today

Gas engineers and police officers at the scene on Baberton Mains Avenue, Edinburgh

Huge amounts of rubble little Baberton Mains Avenue in Edinburgh, after a house exploded last night

Police at the scene of the explosion this morning, as stunned locals look on

He said: ‘We were just watching TV when we heard this incredibly loud bang. All the doors and windows in the house shook.

‘I came out the house and there were quite a few people in the street already. Whatever it was had happened in a street round the corner, so I ran to find out what was going on.

‘It was just carnage. People running about in chaos. Like being in a bubble. But my training did help.

‘I shouted at her to ask if she could feel the fire, and she said she could.

‘There was a pipe which was gushing out water and I was able to bend it and direct the water onto the flames.

‘It was quite a flexible pipe, and I was able to douse the flames and put them out before they could get to her.

‘She was still pinned – I think there was a cupboard on her legs. I was able to get it off, but she was still trapped.

‘I asked her if she could move her legs and she could, and she was able to crawl out.’

While Mr MacLennan was helping with the rescue, other neighbours arrived and were able to help get an injured man to safety.

And they also helped to clear a path for him and the woman to get out before emergency services arrived and took the pair to hospital.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said five appliances had been in attendance and that two people had been rescued from the ruins of the home prior to their arrival. A 43-year-old woman and 54-year-old man were also taken to hospital for treatment, but their condition is currently unknown.

Police say there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the explosion.

A number of homes were also evacuated as a precaution and the road – Baberton Mains Avenue – remains closed as of Saturday morning.

The property was reduced to rubble and debris was strewn across the residential street in Baberton after the blast at around 10.25pm.

Emergency services were on the scene in Baberton Mains Avenue yesterday and advised people to avoid the area.

The service left the scene at 6.39am on Saturday after handing control to Police Scotland.

Some locals reported hearing the explosion as far away as Gilmerton, a suburb miles from the blast site.

Neighbours said they felt their homes shaking, while another person posted that they had heard the blast from inside a cinema in nearby Wester Hailes.

Dramatic footage of the house was shared on social media showing it had been completely destroyed.

A car on the driveway was covered in rubble and damage could be seen to the neighbouring house. Residents said it was a suspected gas explosion.

The explosion completely destroyed the house which killed at 84-year-old man

A car which had its windows shattered in the explosion last night in Baberton, Edinburgh

The scene on Baberton Mains Avenue, Edinburgh, after an 84-year-old man has died following an explosion at a house on Friday night

A car on the driveway was covered in rubble and damage could be seen to the neighbouring house. Residents said it was a suspected gas explosion

People in a nearby cinema felt the explosion and residents reported their homes shaking

A spokeswoman for gas distributor SGN said the body was brought in to assist emergency services and ‘ensure the immediate vicinity’ was ‘made safe’, adding it was ‘too early to speculate’ on the cause of the explosion.

‘At around 10.45pm last night, we received a request to assist the emergency services following reports of a serious explosion in Baberton, Edinburgh,’ the spokeswoman said.

‘Our engineers worked with the emergency services to ensure the immediate vicinity in Baberton Mains Avenue was made safe in our role as the gas emergency service.

‘Our deepest sympathies are with the family of the man who has tragically died as well as those who have been injured.

‘While it is too early to speculate as to what has happened, we are working closely with the authorities to help discover the cause.’

One local wrote on Facebook: ‘Very scary. What a fright we all got. The couple/owners are out and away to hospital.’

Another claimed to have pulled a person out from under the rubble, commenting: ‘Both are safe and away to hospital! Me and another guy pulled the woman from the rubble! Very scary that was.’

A third penned on X, formerly known as Twitter: ‘I heard the loud bang from my house.’

A fourth said: ‘Heard the bang but thought it was fireworks going off.’ 

People in a nearby cinema felt the explosion and residents reported their homes shaking.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: ‘Around 10.25pm on Friday, 1 December, 2023 we were called to reports of an explosion at a property on Baberton Mains Avenue in Edinburgh.

‘Emergency services are at the scene, and we would advise people to avoid the area at this time.’

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: ‘We were alerted at 10.26 pm on Friday 1 December to reports of a gas explosion affecting residential properties on Baberton Mains Avenue in Edinburgh.

‘Operations control mobilised five fire appliances and specialist resources to the area where firefighters worked to make the area safe.

‘Two casualties were rescued prior to our arrival, and the crews remain on scene.’

Sue Webber, a Scottish Tory MSP for the Lothian region, wrote on social media: ‘Such tragic news, in such a close community.

‘Thank you to all the emergency services that attended. My thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by this incident.’

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