Morningside lady, 102, survives gas blast which wrecked her flat

Annie Boyd suffered burns to her face, hands and arms when an explosion ripped through her flat in Edinburgh's Morningside as she went into the kitchen to make a cup of tea yesterday morning.

Mrs Boyd, who is believed to have lived in her ground-floor flat in Falcon Gardens for more than 30 years and is well known in the community, was rescued by her next-door neighbour, who was woken by the blast and climbed through the smashed windows to help the elderly woman.

The neighbour, who did not want to be named, extinguished a small fire in the window frame with his shoe, then phoned the emergency services and comforted Mrs Boyd, who was knocked off her feet by the force of the explosion.

The blast smashed the door between her kitchen and hallway and blew shards of glass more than 60ft across the neighbouring gardens and showered vehicles parked on the other side of the street.

It is thought that a gas hob was left on in the kitchen overnight, which ignited when Mrs Boyd switched on a light or her kettle as she entered the room.

"I was asleep when I heard a massive bang," said the neighbour. "I ran downstairs and heard moaning coming from Mrs Boyd's flat. I went round the back and saw that the window was completely blown out and there wasn't a single piece of glass left. It was immediately clear to me what had happened. You could still smell the gas."

It is thought that Mrs Boyd was standing directly between the cooker and her kitchen door, which was destroyed in the blast, when the gas ignited.

The neighbour added that the elderly lady, who was described by neighbours as a businesswoman who managed hairdressers' shops and worked until she was in her 80s, had been very active until a few years ago.

"I used to see her up a step ladder trimming her hedge when she was 97 or 98," he said.

"She is an institution in the Morningside community, one of the last great Morningside ladies."

Around six flats in the neighbouring stairwell were evacuated immediately after the incident, but residents were allowed to return home after it was established that the gas had come from the cooker and was not a leak from the mains.

Neighbour Beryl Rees, who shares a cleaner with Mrs Boyd, first heard about the incident when the cleaner knocked on her door yesterday morning.

"She was very worked up and told me there had been an explosion, that there was glass everywhere and Mrs Boyd had been taken to hospital," said pensioner Mrs Rees."It was a bit of a shock."

David Mackie, group manager for health and safety at Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade, said an investigation was being carried out to determine the source of the explosion.

"We received a call about a gas explosion at 6.09am," he said. "Firefighters entered the building to find the kitchen door had been blown off its hinges and was in pieces. An elderly woman was inside the property."

He added: "We would like to advise people if they have got elderly relatives to keep a close eye on them and make sure they're aware of the dangers of gas."

A police spokesman said: "Lothian and Borders Police responded to an address in Falcon Gardens at around 6.10am following reports of a gas explosion within a flat. An elderly woman was taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

"Other occupants within the block were evacuated while the fire service carried out their investigation before being allowed to return to their homes."

It was understood NHS Lothian planned to keep the pensioner in hospital for observation and further treatment.