Exploding fridge door '˜raises kitchen roof and blows out chunks from wall'

Robert Antill, 54, was left with serious cuts and bruises after the accident - and said he only survived the “phenomenal explosion” because he was kneeling down when the 6ft fridge freezer blew itself up.

The stunned electrician, who had crouched to flick a circuit board trip switch, said: “If I’d been standing up when it exploded - I’d be in the morgue now.”

The power of the bizarre blast, which happened on Monday afternoon, smashed chunks out of a wall, and even managed to force open the attic hatch door of the semi-detached home in Grange Road, Eldwick, near Bradford.

It also managed to stop the kitchen clock at 3.37pm.

Mr Anthill, 54, said: “Being crouched down saved me because I was hit by the base of the flying door, which then must have rolled over my back, shielding me from flying glass from broken shelves as it did so.

“Fortunately the door hit me first and protected me from the glass.

“There was glass splinters everywhere.

“The door then carried on, travelling about ten foot in total, then smashed into a kitchen cabinet.

“As it spun over me it took a big chunk of plaster out of the wall.

“It was a phenomenal explosion, I’m so lucky and feel I’ve used up some of my nine lives.”

He explained that his 17-year-old son had returned from school and called him to say the front lights had gone off the nine-year-old Samsung fridge freezer, which cost around £1,200.

“I was finishing work and told him to leave it until I got home.

“I’m so glad I didn’t ask him to look at the circuit board, or that he was standing beside me when I did,” Mr Antill said.

“The circuit breaker had tripped off and as I flicked it on the next thing - boom.”

Mr Antill suffered severe bruising to his lower back, but luckily no broken or cracked bones.

“The door bent and broke my mobile phone in my pocket and also forced a bunch of keys in my work trouser pocket into my thigh, cutting the skin,” he added.

Firemen and paramedics were quickly at the scene.

Bingley Watch commander Andy Gray said: “It was very, very surreal, I’ve not seen anything like it before.

“The upright fridge freezer had been blown apart and there was food everywhere.

“The householder was in a degree of shock and also had suffered injury so the paramedics took him to hospital to get him checked out.

“If he’d have been standing up he would have been very badly off indeed.

“We cleared it all up, moved the fridge into the garden and neighbours looked after any undamaged food.”

Mr Antill had nothing but praise for the fire service, adding: “They did a sterling job and stayed for ages clearing up - our neighbours were great too.

He and his wife and family stayed with friends until today after power and gas were reconnected at the property.

Mr Antill said he had spoken to his insurers and tests will be carried out on the fridge to find out what may have caused the potentially fatal explosion.

He added: “The fire service investigator said he’d only ever known one other case of an exploding fridge.

“We never had any problems with it before and will wait to see what caused this.”

A Samsung spokesman said: “Samsung takes customer safety very seriously and we are looking into this claim as a priority.

“We did not receive a complaint through the Samsung customer services team about this incident but now it has been brought to our attention, we are working hard to establish next steps.”