Kincaidston explosion one year on: old pipes are gone but the trauma remains
It's been one year since a gas explosion left 3 homes destroyed and a family in hospital.
It’s been exactly one year since a devastating gas explosion tore through a quiet Ayr estate, leaving a family in hospital and three houses destroyed.
Twelve months have passed, but memories, trauma and frustration are still very present within the Kincaidston area. Residents had to fight for answers whilst suffering from the traumatic consequences of that night, and remain disappointed with the lack of accountability
Accounts from Gorse Park on October 18.
On that night in October 2021, many were sitting down for there dinner, getting home from work, or putting their children to bed when they felt and heard it.
At around 7pm, the full community of Ayr felt the explosion.
West FM were the first news team on site that night, and spoke to confused, and upset locals who were struggling to comprehend what had just happened.
Councillor Chris Cullen told Clyde 1: I’d just finished my dinner and felt a thud. The front door wasn’t shut properly and blew right open. Next thing, social media was just going mad and I rushed down to the area.”
Local resident Margaret said: “The whole house shook, there was kids screaming, dogs barking. Folk had lost windows, and everyone was running out wondering what was going on.
“You could just see this mushroom of black smoke.”
The Trauma is there but the support is not.
It took 11 months for HSE to release a statement regarding the incident, and it was as follows.
“An HSE spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are with those impacted by this incident.
“Having investigated it fully, the HSE will be taking no further action.”
That statement didn’t sit well with locals in Kincaidston, and after multiple Freedom of Information requests by media outlets and residents, a full report was published. The reason – a corroded gas pipe.
SGN have spent months in the area replacing the pipe network, for which locals have expressed their welcoming thoughts on.
The old pipes may be gone, but the trauma of that night is still very much alive.
Local mum Vicky Brown who stays just across the road from Gorse Park has been telling Clyde 1 how she feels one year one from that night. She tells us how it has stayed with her and expressed frustration at a lack of accountability.
She said: “Honestly, it’s been a nightmare, one minute you could be doing something, next thing you hear a slight bang and jump out of your skin. Whether as that never happened before the explosion.
“It’s very disappointing, because obviously someone should be to blame. SGN haven’t really held their hands up and said its their fault, and nobody has come forward.
“It had to be a lot of arguing to get the HSE report in the first place.
“It’s the fact it took them so long, nearly eleven months, to tell us something that we pretty much already knew, and SGN still aren’t compensating anyone for it. The whole situation is just very frustrating.”
MSP calls for more answers and support for locals.
Local MSP, Siobhain Brown has previously been outspoken in Scottish Parliament about the need for SGN to ensure the safety of everyone in not just Ayrshire but Scotland, and called for more mental support for struggling residents.
She told Clyde 1: “I hope that some lessons have been learnt, and I’ll be keen to hear what measures SGN are putting in place for communities in my constituency and indeed all across Scotland to ensure they’re safe. I’ve written to them about this and I’m expecting an answer very soon.
“Pipes may have been replaced, and houses repaired, and safety checks made, but the trauma is still there for many residents, and the memories of that night will stay with them forever. That is something we really need to recognise and provide support in, in any way necessary.”
“Although Kincaidston was an accident, this still serves a reminder of the measures we can take to protect ourselves and our families. We should all note the emergency gas number and call it if we smell gas and have all our appliances safety checked once a year.
It is really important we stay vigilant with this, so it doesn’t happen again.”
Although the MSP has called for more support for people in Kincaidston, it remains clear not a lot of support has been offered to those living with the trauma.
While mum Vicky expressed her gratitude for local high school, Queen Margaret Academy offering help to pupils, she said there’s been very little contact from the council.
She added: “We haven’t really had much support from the council or anything like that. I’d say the community of Kincaidston has done that themselves, in terms of supporting each other.”