Kings River Explosion July 2006
On Thursday 13 July 2006, the Kings unveiled their brand new showhome which was to house married couple, Marlon Dingle and Donna Windsor-Dingle. When local resident, Noreen Bell opened a cupboard door inside the house, it triggered an automatic light switch that an electric spark discharged causing a gas ignition. that caused a large gas explosion that catapulted her down the stairs. The explosion ripped through the bathroom floor knocking Jimmy King and Sadie King to opposite sides of the bathroom. The estate agent David Brown, who was located near the cupboard, was set alight. While running towards the house, Marlon and Donna were thrown back by another explosion. Debris such as a spark plug, a toaster, a boiler, and windows started to fly towards the residents as the house started to explode in various places. Diane Sugden was knocked out by a collapsing ceiling while Danny Daggert and Dawn Woods, who were running behind her, got caught in another explosion. The bathroom floor gave way and Jimmy fell through, shortly followed by Sadie. The house then fully collapsed horrifyingly as the residents of Emmerdale watched in shock. Three were confirmed dead: Noreen Bell, who was hit by the full force of the initial explosion and died instantly, Dawn Woods, who was rescued from the rubble but later died in hospital as a result of internal injuries from burns and Smoke inhalation, and the estate agent David Brown from burns.
This was an hour long episode, and attracted 6.7 million viewers, beating EastEnders in the ratings. It was the most watched television programme of the day.
At the 2007 British Soap Awards Emmerdale won two awards, one of which was 'Most Spectacular Scene' for the Kings River Explosion.
The House Collapse won an ITV competition to find the best Emmerdale moment, coinciding with Emmerdale's 5000th Episode.
Read more about this topic: Major Emmerdale Storylines
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And we, churls, to thee deny
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A more harmless vanity?”
—Charles Lamb (1775–1834)
“It is ... despair at the mutability of all created things that links the Artist and the Ascetic—a desire to purify and preserve—to set oneself apart—somehow—from the river flowing onward to the grave.”
—Michele Murray (1933–1974)
“Moderation has never yet engineered an explosion ....”
—Ellen Glasgow (1873–1945)
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)