Three contract workers were seriously injured in a recent gas explosion in a restaurant in Chester Market, a busy shopping complex in Cheshire, England. Thankfully, an off-duty nurse happened to be attending a concert close by, so she raced over and started attending to the workers’ injuries until the paramedics arrived.
Campbell Russel, a retired teacher, watched the NHS worker jump into action before anyone knew what was going on.
“We were at the market ready to enjoy watching Ed Alleyne-Johnson performing and then suddenly there was a bang. It made one heck of a clunk,” he said. “The market hall was quite full at the time, and we were all asked to leave via the side doors of the market. An NHS worker who had arrived at the market to watch Ed Alleyne-Johnson perform stepped in to help treat the injured using water and clothes.”
Local officials say the entire market was packed with diners and shoppers hoping to listen to the concert when the explosion occurred. They are currently investigating the situation to find out how it occurred.
Alleyne-Johnson said he was about to go on stage when a piece of the building crumbled before his eyes.
“I had just done a sound check ahead of doing a 20-minute performance and then there was a huge bang, and we could see a huge piece of metal paneling had fallen down in front of the main entrance. It was like it was happening in slow motion,” said the musician.
“There was a huge cloud of dust and debris and I’m sure I saw someone jumping out of the way as it was falling. I started running towards the entrance to see if I could help but people were shouting for us to evacuate the building via the side entrance.”
Chester Market released a statement on social media following the incident. “Following the incident in the unit next to Chester Market on Wednesday evening further investigations are underway. As a result, Chester Market will remain closed on Thursday. Further updates will be provided as soon as possible.”
“Three people have sustained serious burn injuries. They have been passed into the care of paramedics and are being conveyed to hospital,” the police added in a statement.
