A two-year-old boy has died and four other people have been injured in a suspected gas explosion in Heysham, Lancashire that destroyed two homes. A major incident was declared after the explosion on Mallowdale Avenue at about 2.30am on Sunday that also left a third house badly damaged. George Arthur Hinds, aged two years and 10 months, died as a result of the blast, and his parents, Vicky Studholme and Stephen Hinds, were also injured, although not seriously. In a statement they said: “We are devastated at the loss of our beautiful George. “He was so precious to us. We have no words to describe how we feel and just want time to ourselves to come to terms with what has happened. Our beautiful little angel grew his wings today.” Two other people remain in hospital with injuries described as critical, Lancashire police said. Nearby residents described the noise of the blast as “like a bomb going off” and said debris had covered nearby streets and fields. “We remain at scene of a suspected gas explosion on Mallowdale Avenue, Heysham which has caused two houses to collapse and badly damaged another,” Lancashire police said. “Sadly, we can now confirm a young child has died and four other people have been injured, two seriously. Our thoughts are with all those affected.” Lancashire fire and rescue service said 10 fire engines attended the incident in Heysham, a coastal town north of Blackpool, and that fire crews remained at the scene. Ben Norman, the assistant chief fire officer, said an investigation into the cause of the blast would be carried out “slowly and methodically”. “We’ll work to conclude this incident safely and work with support and concern for the local community to ensure they can rebuild and go back to their normal lives in due course,” he said. “Sadly at this time it means there are a number of people whose homes have been affected and therefore they can’t remain in the area. We ask people to have patience and particularly to have the family that have been affected in mind.” Susan Faulkner, 74, who lives on Mallowdale Avenue, said: “The sound really shook me, I’m still quite shaken by it. I’ve never experienced that before. It was like a bomb going off, it was that kind of impact,” she told PA Media. “It was quite a blast, I live quite a way down there and part of my side door was blown in, my nextdoor neighbour’s plates were smashed,” she said. “There’s debris everywhere, all on the next streets and in the fields. I think there’s a bit on my roof as well. I’ve been very lucky. When I see what those poor souls have had happen to them, it’s devastating.” Dan Knowles, who lives four streets away from the explosion, said he thought there had been an earthquake. “The whole house shook,” he said. “We stayed indoors and switched everything off at the source and then sat up all night worrying.” A GoFundMe page set up to help those affected by the blast had reached more than £18,000 by Sunday afternoon. Heather Brandwood, the manager of two pubs in nearby Morecambe, set up the fundraiser and said residents were queuing up in the car park of the Hurley Flyer pub to donate clothing and toiletries to evacuated residents. “We are very conscious that people were evacuated from their homes with immediate effect. We have heard from an elderly couple who left in their pyjamas. There is a woman who is in literally nothing but her nightie,” she said. “The general public has been fantastic and they have risen to the challenge.” Lancashire police said they were working with gas service engineers to make the area safe and Electricity North West said it had paused electricity supplies to the area for safety reasons while the blast was investigated.