A "massive" blast which may have been triggered by a remote vehicle key destroyed a tradesman's van and damaged a number of houses in suburban Melbourne this morning.
The Melbourne Agewebsite is reporting that the explosion in Dunscombe Place, Chelsea Heights, occurred around 6am local time (8amNZST) and spread debris over a 100-metre area.
Plumber Mick Ponton told the Age one of his apprentices had used a remote key to open Ponton's new VW Transporter van, which was sitting in the driveway of his home.
"It just blew up straight away. I've never heard anything like it. I deadset thought my whole house was caving in," Ponton said.
The apprentice was about 10 metres away from the van when it was unlocked, the Age reported.
