A senior chef at a restaurant which suffered a suspected gas explosion - blowing all the windows out in a sudden loud bang - is being treated for "very serious" burns.
22-year-old Will Dean was badly injured during the incident, in which more than 100 people were evacuated in St Matthew's Road , off Ealing Common, on Thursday night (March 29).
The Charlotte's Place chef, who lives in Chiswick , was taken to St Mary's Hospital after the disaster, but is now being transferred to a specialist burns unit in Morriston Hospital, Swansea.
On Friday afternoon (March 30) his father, Grant Dean, told getwestlondon: "It is very serious, he was taken to St Mary’s and is being transferred to a specialist burns unit in Swansea.
News from Ealing
"I now live in New Zealand but I'm getting ready to fly back.
"His mum and brother are with him.
"He is traveling with an A&E doctor and nurse in an ambulance to Swansea burns unit - the only one with an available bed.
"We've had no update on what happened and are still waiting to hear, but we'd like to give our thanks for all those that helped him at the incident."
The senior chef, who trained at the University of the West of England (UWE), was injured as 15 people are believed to have fled the fine dining restaurant after the explosion, which came from the ground floor kitchen.
A nearby resident told getwestlondon there was a sudden loud bang just before 9pm.
She said: "It was so loud! I was in my house and instantly ran to the front window. Most of the residents on our road did.
"All the downstairs windows (of the restaurant) were blown out.
"A structural engineer visited to assess the safety of the building before we were allowed back in our house.
"I asked a fireman what had caused the explosion when we were eventually let back in and they still didn’t seem to know.
"It was very strange. Everyone I spoke to who was in the restaurant at the time said they couldn’t smell gas at all.
"It was all very out of the blue."
More than 100 people, including an entire wedding party, were enjoying a drink at the pub next door, The Grange, which was evacuated by London Fire Brigade .
A spokesman said: "There was an explosion from the ground floor kitchen.
"We isolated the gas and electric supply.
"Fifteen people were evacuated before the arrival of the brigade and 100 people were evacuated from The Grange pub next door.
"One adult male was treated for burns by London Ambulance Service."
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