A number of people including an elderly man have been injured in a gas explosion at a block of flats.
The blast damaged a wall of the building in Garratt Lane, Wandsworth, south London, at around 7.25am on Wednesday.
A cordon was put in place and drivers were advised to avoid the area as emergency crews worked at the scene.
Pictures on social media showed bricks, glass and furniture strewn over the ground next to a gaping hole in the wall of a ground floor flat.
The Metropolitan Police Twitter account for Wandsworth said: “An elderly man has been taken to hospital following the gas explosion in residential flats in Wandsworth.
“Three other people were treated at the scene for minor injuries.”
Around 25 firefighters were called to the scene of the blast, along with two ambulances and a hazardous area response team.
Metropolitan Police Sergeant John Nicolaou said staff from the gas board were also on site and the Heath and Safety Executive would be told.
A spokeswoman for London Fire Brigade said: “Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters have been called to a suspected gas explosion on Garratt Lane in Wandsworth.
“A ground-floor flat in a three-storey block has been affected. A 25-metre cordon is in place as a precaution.
“Firefighters rescued one man from the affected flat. He has been taken to hospital. A man from an adjacent flat left before the brigade arrived and has also been taken to hospital.”