A GWENT family told how their lives were saved after a huge gas blast rocked their home - thanks to an open kitchen door.

Chris Sage, 31, partner Victoria Hadley, 21, and her five-year-old son Ieuan were awakened by the explosion which blew windows, doors and even a concrete door step into the garden at their home in Twinings, Greenmeadow, Cwmbran.

Their gas boiler triggered the blast when it ignited at 4am yesterday morning after a gas build-up in pipes.

But firefighters say the fact their kitchen door was left open saved the family's lives because the ventilation forced the blast outwards instead of upwards.

Mr Sage said: "The explosion was like an earthquake. It woke us up and it was still rumbling.

"The smoke detector was going as well so we got out of bed, picked the boy up and ran down the stairs.

"I put my head into the kitchen and it had totally blown the doorframe off. "The door was in pieces and there was a six by six foot hole there, the French doors had been totally blown into the garden, and the whole window had been blown into the garden.

"The glass wasn't even smashed. "It was unbelievable. We were so lucky. I've seen some things but that was terrifying because I couldn't work out what it was. I was so scared I just couldn't think what to do."

Station Officer Nick Jones, of South Wales Fire Service, based at Maindee, said such an explosion could have caused a "massive fireball."

He said: "These people have been extremely lucky."

Mr Sage said he was thankful his kitchen door was left open. He said: "The door sticks a little bit and that's why we never close it. The boy's bedroom is just above the kitchen so it would have been him first." Amazingly, very little damage has been done to the structure of the house and Mr Sage and his family hope to move back in today after spending last night in a hotel.