RESIDENTS returned to their homes on Wednesday night after an explosion alert ended in Radcliffe.

Firefighters completed the 24-hour cooling procedure of a gas acetylene cylinder that had caught fire.

The cylinder was taken away by fire crews at 7pm and the area was declared safe.

Families from around 70 homes in Ulundi Street were evacuated on Tuesday night after emergency services sealed off the area.

Residents were told to take their belongings and stay in alternative accommodation overnight.

The blaze started when a flame blew back up a welding hose that was being used by a man in a garden shed.

Pupils at Radcliffe High School, situated on the next street to the fire, were excused from school on Wednesday.