London, Oct 16 (IANS): A seven-year-old boy has died after an explosion in a residential area in Newcastle in northeast England, local media reported on Wednesday.

Footage shared on social media showed that two properties were almost completely leveled in the fire in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Police were called to the scene by the fire service at around 00:45 a.m. local time (2345 GMT) on Wednesday and six people were taken to hospital following the explosion, Xinhua news agency reported.

Northern Gas Networks said its engineers were at the scene. Newcastle City Council has asked people to avoid the area and told those living nearby to stay indoors and keep windows closed "until further notice."

Emergency teams worked through the night and could be seen searching through the rubble.

An evacuation center has been set up nearby, and the Red Cross was handing out items including mobile phone chargers and food, according to the BBC.