A black fence stands around an empty plot of land in Mill View, Willesborough.

Peek through a small square opening at waist height and you can see a flat section of concrete and gravel next to a patch of grass that is trying its best to spread.

The fences are slightly oppressive – they carry signs for Ashford Borough Council and a security company – and the overall effect is fairly unimpressive.

A newcomer to the area could be forgiven for not realising a row of terraced houses once stood here, housing four families.

For decades, occupants of numbers 13 to 19, Mill View, went about their everyday lives alongside the rest of the community.

That all changed a year ago today.

At just before 8am on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, the road was shaken by an explosion that ripped through the street, shattering windows and waking sleeping neighbours.

Watch the moment an explosion destroys a house in Ashford

The roof above number 15 flexed outwards, tiles splintering and shooting into the sky, bits of insulation gently floating down through the air.

Bricks and mortar were thrown into the road, destroying two cars and reaching as far as the opposite pavement.

Shaken residents – many still wearing their pyjamas – poured from their homes to see flames and smoke coming out of the house, ash and paper collecting on their hair like snow.

The blast had destroyed the front of number 15, and seriously damaged the adjoining walls of number 13 and 17.

With emergency services on the way, father-and-son Andy and Harry Hodges ran into the flames of the building where the explosion – caused by a leaky portable gas heater – had come from to rescue trapped residents.

The pair dashed into the ruined remains of number 15 and recovered Donald Hanford, who was 75 at the time, before going back in and recovering his mother, 99-year-old Ethel.

Mr Hodges, now 57, described the scene as "almost apocalyptic".

"There were patches of fire everywhere, although it hadn't taken hold yet fully – the back of the kitchen had caved in and there was a waterfall caused by the damage to the bathroom upstairs," he said.

"We found the man in what would have been the front hallway and guided him out before he told us his mother was further inside.

Drone footage showed the extent of the damage. Video: Chris Thomson

"She was sat on a kitchen chair, she had a nasty cut and her hair was singed. I had to pick her up and pass her to my son, who then passed her onto a man who followed us in.

"I dread to think what would have happened if we were still in there when the fire took hold," added Mr Hodges.

A total of seven people were injured in the blast, with five taken to the William Harvey Hospital and two taken to London with what would later be described as "life-changing" injuries.

Miraculously, all seven survived.

Neighbouring properties and houses in the immediate surrounding area were evacuated by emergency services and residents were taken to an emergency relief centre that was quickly set up in St Mary the Virgin Church.

The houses at 13 - 19 Mill View, Ashford, in 2015 and in the weeks after the explosion.

It was about eight hours before they were allowed back in, once fears of a second explosion had abated.

Other residents in Mill View were kept away overnight, before being allowed home the following morning.

By the time firefighting work ended, much of number 15 had collapsed, leaving only a chimney stack left standing in the crater.

Work was carried out in the ensuing days after the blast to remove debris and allow for inspection work inside the property.

The houses in 2015, and forensic teams at the site the day after the explosion.

Forensic teams then moved in, working among the debris and using a height vehicle to take pictures of the damage from the air.

Movement sensors were placed against several walls around the scene to detect any shift in the damaged structures while teams worked amongst the rubble, with gas teams excavating holes in the area to access pipes below the ground.

With suspicious circumstances ruled out almost immediately, the cause was released a week later as a leak from a portable gas heater at number 15.

Unfortunately, while the terrace's residents survived, the damage to the houses meant they would have to go.

KMTV revisited the scene of the Ashford house explosion

Speaking to a reporter at the scene the day after the blast, ABC leader Cllr Gerry Clarkson said the block would have to be rebuilt.

It consisted of three council-owned properties and one privately owned. Alternative accommodation had already been set up for the people affected, he added.

Some families were allowed to go back into their houses to collect belongings where it was safe, before the 10ft-tall black fence was constructed around the site to keep the public out while demolition work was undertaken.

That fence is the same one that stands today, keeping the blast fresh in the minds of the community.

Forensic officers examined the remains of the building

For many, this is a traumatic and upsetting memory.

"I don't really like to talk about it," one walker told KentOnline this week, looking ruefully at the closed-off space.

She lives very close to the epicentre of the explosion but asked to remain nameless.

"It did a lot of damage and really traumatised my children, so it's best that we don't talk about it just yet."

The thought is reflected across the area, with many people feeling the urge to move on without discussing it.

Gill Lancashire lives in one of the homes in Osborne Road that were evacuated, being closest to Mill View.

"We're just trying to move on, really – that is the collective mindset as far as I'm concerned," she said.

"It was absolutely awful when it happened. There was just chaos. It felt like a long time before we actually realised what was happening."

Like many families in the surrounding area, Mrs Lancashire and her family were left counting costs that are rarely mentioned in such incidents.

"We were all evacuated to the church after it happened, and weren't let back in for at least eight hours," she said.

"The shockwave took our living room window out. It was absolutely terrifying. But when you think about what the poor people who were really affected by it went through and continue to go through, it hardly seems worth mentioning."

While it has been confirmed that the three council-owned properties will be rebuilt on the site with a similar design to before, details on a timeline remain sketchy.

"I haven't a clue, they haven't told us anything," Mrs Lancashire shrugged. "But I do hope it happens soon."

While many remember the horrors of the day, others also choose to focus on the positives of the ensuing community effort.

Furniture, clothes and baby supplies piled in from generous donors for the affected families, while a fundraising campaign launched to support them raised almost £12,500.

Osborne Road resident David Hayes says the community effort was a "real positive" when looking back at the fallout from the explosion.

"We were lucky enough to not be at home on the day that it happened, but I saw the aftermath and saw how the community came together," he explained.

"I didn't hear anything other than good things about the community effort – so that was a real positive out of such a horrible situation, on top of the fact that nobody was killed.

"First thanks of course have to go to the brave people who rescued the victims from the rubble, not to mention the emergency services, but the way the rest of the community came together for those affected was absolutely wonderful – and very much representative of the community, I feel."

Ashford Borough Council paid tribute to what it described as "the brave people who acted swiftly and decisively to rescue the tenants of number 15".

Its spokesman added: "We would also like to praise the work of Kent Fire and Rescue Service in their response to this incident.

"In the aftermath of the accident it was heartening to see the local community rally round to provide help and support in so many different ways.

"The resilience shown by local people and the strength of community spirit in Ashford following this tragic event was humbling to witness."

In the months after the explosion, the Hodges were given a bravery award for their efforts.

Ashford Borough Council negotiated with the owners of Number 13, who owned the house privately, to allow them to relocate sooner and to give the council better use of the whole plot.

The occupiers of numbers 15 and 17 have been rehoused permanently , while the tenant of number 19 has been rehoused on a temporary basis because she’d like to return when the properties are rebuilt.

A council spokesman confirmed that a competition is under way with architects to select one to design the new builds.

So at some point, the fences will come down and families will move back in and go about their everyday lives as before.

Maybe then, the community will find it easier to move on. But it will be impossible for anyone affected to forget.