Jersey police are dealing with an incident after reports of an explosion in the Pier Road area.
Image source, Daniel HuntA large area in St Helier has been cordoned off after reports of an explosion in the early hours.
Jersey police are dealing with the incident and have closed Pier Road, Pier Road car park and South Hill.
People across the island have reported hearing a loud bang and a large plume of smoke could be seen.
The Government of Jersey has asked islanders not to go to the Emergency Department “unless absolutely necessary”.
It said this was due to the ongoing response following the incident at Pier Road.
A queue of ambulances are lined up outside Pier Road car park.
One resident has described being woken up by what she thought was an earthquake at about 03:50 GMT.
“The bed started to shake and there was this massive bang,” she said.
“I checked online for news about an earthquake or lightning, I had no idea what it was.”
Jersey Fire and Rescue said it was “continuing to respond to an incident at residential properties on Pier Road, St Helier”.
“The fire has been put out, but emergency services are still carrying out significant work.”
‘Windows blown in’
Constable of St Helier Simon Crowcroft said its priority was to aid those who had been affected.
He said: “Our immediate concern is of course the people who have been injured, we don’t yet know what the extent of the injuries are.
“I’ve spoken to some of the residents who were near the explosion… they have obviously had a terrible shock this morning, they’ve been more or less forced out of their homes, some of them have had their windows blown in and their flats will clearly need to be completely refurbished.”
Mr Crowcroft added people at the town hall had arrived in “literally what they stood up in”.
Shattered glass and debris has been seen across commercial buildings and St Helier harbour.
BBC Jersey reporter Chris Craddock, who was near the scene earlier, said: “You could see glass, you could see rocks, you could see stones strewn across the area both on the pavement and on the road.
“Police have cordoned off the area and are diverting traffic.”
Some residents have been taken to St Helier Town Hall and Chief Minister Kristina Moore said Andium Homes and emergency services were caring for about 10 people there.
Housing Minister David Warr confirmed Andium Homes had “sufficient accommodation for all those affected”.
St Helier parish hall said donations and additional support from islanders was not needed “at the moment”.
The police have asked people to avoid the area and Fort Regent has said it is closed.
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