‘Nervous’ residents return to their homes a week after gas blast that killed four-year-old girl

Residents have returned home one week after a fatal gas explosion in south London killed a four-year-old girl, as others face months away stuck in hotels.

Sahara Salman died after the blast at her home on Galpin’s Road, Thornton Heath, shortly after 7am on Monday 8 August.

Of the 200 households evacuated last week, only a quarter have been allowed to head back to the residential street in Merton, south London, by early afternoon on Wednesday.

A police cordon further up the street means hundreds of locals are still being kept away, with Merton Council admitting it does not know when everyone will be able to return.

Nick Hillman, a teacher, said it was ‘fantastic’ to come home but felt sorry for those who were still waiting for an all-clear: ‘We’re very, very conscious of what other people have to go through.

‘Many families really won’t be back for months, I don’t imagine. And they’re big families with kids stuck in hotels.’

Mr Hillman was one of a number of residents who headed back to their homes laden with suitcases and plastic bags.

Among the tributes were flowers, wilted in the August heat, and teddy bears – one of which had ‘Sahara’ and love hearts drawn on in green ink.

A local woman, who gave her name as Valerie, was unsure about re-entering her house despite assurances by SGN, the gas company.

She said: ‘You just don’t know what to really expect – you just still have that little thought that says “oh my God, I wonder is it safe? I wonder, is there more to come?”

‘But you’ve just got to hope for the best and hope that it doesn’t happen again.’

Southern Gas Networks (SGN) has faced community anger since the explosion, with some claiming the company has ‘blood on its hands’ and failed to respond to reports of gas leaks.

Houses were checked by SGN engineers and police officers wearing bodycams last week so that footage can be gathered to assist with their investigation into the tragedy. 

Chief executive Mark Wild, who walked along the street meeting residents, said he was sympathetic to local scepticism.

‘This is a safe situation, but I could understand why customers and residents would be lacking trust,’ he said.

‘If I were in their shoes, I might feel exactly the same way. It’s our job to give people confidence.’

Mr Wild, who assumed his role at SGN on Monday this week, insisted he had ‘absolutely no’ regrets about taking the job just days after the explosion.

A number of residents were seen emptying out the contents of their kitchens into rubbish bags after being forced to leave food behind during the evacuation.

Rose Bala, who works as a glassblower, spent 10 minutes struggling to fit three weeks’ worth of ruined supplies into a small waste bin outside her home.

Asked on her reaction to returning home from a Travelodge, she said: ‘Relief and disgust… relief to be home and disgust at the smell.’

Valerie, preparing to empty out her three freezers, said: ‘I’ve stocked up for months – it’s inconvenient but what can you do? At the end of the day we are lucky we’re still alive.’

Many furious neighbours of the gas blast told SGN that they have ‘blood on their hands’ at a community meeting in South Lodge Avenue, Mitcham on Thursday evening, residents said that at least 18 calls were made to gas firm SGN from Galpin’s Road about the smell of gas in the days and weeks leading up to the explosion.

Martin Holloway, executive operations director for SGN, told some 100 residents in the local community centre the firm was ‘shocked and saddened’ about the death of Sahara.

Mr Holloway told locals at the community meeting: ‘Whilst I appreciate it is frustrating given the ongoing police investigation, I’m unable to talk about what happened in the run-up to the explosion.

‘I know that’s difficult because people want answers about what’s happening.’

However, locals immediately began shouting at Mr Holloway, who had to stop speaking. 

Two residents walked out of the meeting while shouting at the company representative, with one describing the investigation as a ‘whitewash’.

One resident said the company had ‘blood on their hands’, while another demanded answers, as ‘houses don’t just blow up’.

One man who lived on Galpin’s Road told Mr Holloway: ‘A little girl lost her life because of you lot taking your time, and how many people have been telling you that there’s been a problem.’

Mr Holloway confirmed that ‘the entire history, both electronic and paper’ of all the work carried out by SGN on Galpin’s Road would be available to the police for their investigation.

He added that the company would also make a ‘voluntary goodwill contribution’ to the local council following the blast.

Residents were told by SGN that the road ‘would be safe from a gas perspective tomorrow’, and that those within the outer cordon will start being able to return to their homes from Friday, subject to a sign-off from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime Command has launched a probe into the blast.

Merton council has said the explosion was the result of a gas leak, but official investigations remain ongoing.