A FIRE-hit town centre house which was the scene of a huge explosion 21 months ago is being put up for online auction with a guide price of just £45,000.

Residents had to be evacuated when fire ripped through 38, Lower Church Street, Chepstow, early on Monday evening, September 21, 2020.

Horrified witnesses saw a man living in the mid-terraced property blown through the window onto the street by the blast, and he had to be airlifted to hospital for emergency treatment.

The back of the house was ripped out by the explosion, and selling agents admit it has “suffered extensively from fire damage”.

The Rightmove post, which includes photos showing the extent of the damage, adds: “The purchase would allow a builder/developer a chance to put their own stamp and accommodation layout that they wish.

“The property is located in the centre of this sought-after thriving town close to the River Wye.”

Bidding opens on Monday, July 4, at midday and closes on Wednesday, July 6.

Fire and smoke from the blazing house could be seen across the town after the blast opposite the Baptist church rocked the town at around 6.30pm.

Police say inquiries into the incident are still ongoing, nearly two years on from the incident.

A family with a young child had walked past the house just moments before the blast.

An emergency service manager from Wales and West Utilities said in the days following that it was not thought to be related to the mains gas network, while witnesses said firefighters had found gas canisters at the scene.

Fire engulfed the building and damaged neighbouring homes, while emergency services evacuated the street.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service sent six fire engines and other resources to the blazing cottage, and film posted from Tutshill Cliff across the Wye showed fire engines spraying jets of water on it.

A cordon was thrown around the area, and the injured man was taken to Morriston Hospital burns unit in Swansea after an air ambulance landed in the nearby graveyard behind the museum.

Neighbour Ben Powell, 27, told the BBC he was in his home opposite the building wearing headphones when he heard “a massive bang”.

“It shook my flat,” said the chef. “I looked out my window and there were literally bits of the house opposite everywhere and people were screaming.

“The house looked like a bomb had gone off inside, but then there was a little flame - and within two minutes the whole house had caught fire.”

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