Members of the emergency services move debris at the site of an explosion which destroyed a convenience store and a home in Leicester, Britain, February 25, 2018.

:: Four people have been killed and four more injured in an explosion inside a building in Leicester, triggering power outages and a partial evacuation of the area.

Local fire brigades, the ambulance service, and police in Leicestershire responded to reports of an explosion and fire at a building on Hinckley Road Monday morning, according to a police statement.Hinckley Road and adjacent streets have been cordoned off and motorists were advised to keep away from the area

“Four people are confirmed to have died in an explosion at a property in Leicester last night,” law enforcement said in a statement.

Another four people remain in the hospital, one with serious injuries.

The blast, which destroyed a convenience store and a house resulted in sixty homes being evacuated for safety reasons. “The building consisted of a shop premises on the ground level and a two-storey flat above it,” Superintendent Shane O’Neill said.

O’Neill added that there may be people inside the house who have not yet been accounted for, and that the rescue operation is ongoing. He ruled out terrorism as the cause of the blast.

“Once the site is deemed to be safe a joint investigation with Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service will begin looking into the circumstances surrounding the incident, which at this stage are not being linked to terrorism.”

The cause of the explosion is yet to be determined, the official said.