Fuel Depo Explosion - Uk

[jonathan_ddr]

Sunday 11 December, 2005

Massive blast hits fuel depot


Police wear face masks as smoke billows
By Stephen Hird and Michael Holden

HEMEL HEMPSTEAD (Reuters) - Explosions tore through a fuel depot north of London on Sunday, spewing out a huge tower of smoke and flame in what officials said could be the biggest incident of its kind in peacetime Europe.

Police said only one person was seriously injured and believed it was almost certainly an accident.

"There is nothing that indicates anything other than an accident," Hertfordshire Chief Constable Frank Whiteley told a news conference after Britons, still on edge from July bomb attacks in London, awoke to fresh images of destruction.

Eyewitnesses described a series of massive explosions at the Buncefield oil depot just after 6 a.m., shooting flames and billowing smoke hundreds of feet into the air, smashing the windows of nearby homes and causing widespread damage.

A Reuters witness said the blast was heard 40 km (25 miles) away in northwest London.

The county's chief fire officer, Roy Wilsher, said it was the largest fire he had ever seen and would burn for at least another 24 hours.

"We have been informed by experts that this is possibly the largest incident of this kind in peacetime Europe," he said.

Hours later, the sky was still blackened by a wall of smoke which had drifted miles across southern England and was big enough to be visible on space satellite images.

Some homes in the area were evacuated.

Police said there were 43 casualties but only one person appeared to have suffered serious injuries. "At the moment it looks as if we got off a lot more lightly than you would expect with an explosion of this size," Whiteley said.

PANIC BUYING

Officials said the explosions were unlikely to cause fuel shortages and urged motorists to avoid 'panic buying' of petrol. But witnesses reported queues of drivers at petrol stations, waiting to fill up their cars.

The Buncefield depot supplies petrol and fuel oils to a large part of southeast England, including Luton and Heathrow airports. Oil is brought to the depot, near the town of Hemel Hempstead, by underground pipeline from tankers unloading on the east coast.

A government spokesman said that when full, the depot holds five percent of the country's oil supply, but they could not say how much it was holding before the blast.

He said oil industry chiefs were meeting to work out how to guarantee supplies from other distribution terminals.

"There is nothing to suggest there will be a fuel shortage as a result of this," Whiteley said.

The depot, the fifth largest in Britain, is jointly run by oil companies Total and Texaco.

Police said about half the plant had been destroyed. They closed the nearby M1 in both directions, causing traffic chaos.

Britain has been on edge since four suicide bombers blew themselves up on underground trains and a bus in London in July, killing 52 commuters.

Car-loving Britons have also been concerned about petrol supplies since hauliers blockaded refineries in a fuel tax protest five years ago and brought the country to a virtual halt.

People living in the Hemel Hempstead area were shaken by what they said was a bone-jarring blast.

Mike Carlish, who lives less than 4 km (3 miles) from the Buncefield depot, said he had been woken by a "blinding white flash" and a blast so powerful it knocked plaster off the ceiling in his house.

(c) Reuters 2005. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.

And the government are saying don't panic buy fuel, and it was not a terrorist attack....

Jon

[Anth]

It happened at around 6:30am. What time did I hear about it? 5:30pm on the evening news

[conlor]

I'm sure it could be heard 25 miles away! Wow! I'm glad no one was killed. There'll be a class action suit to reimburse displaced people and repair to homes. Which will drive gas prices up more.

[Woodmonkey]

I was hoping that someone from the UK would post this. It's been all over the news here, but you'll have the better sources.

What's this about a plane being sighted just before the explosion? Or is that more speculating by our trivial media?

[jonathan_ddr]

Originally Posted by conlor

I'm sure it could be heard 25 miles away! Wow! I'm glad no one was killed. There'll be a class action suit to reimburse displaced people and repair to homes. Which will drive gas prices up more.

Times that by four.

My Auntie who lives in Luton said that they had their loft doors blown in, some had their windows blown out.

The fumes are heading East and effects from it are being felt in Surrey. I heard about it at about 3pm on a TV in Currys. Check out BBC News 24 on didgital for ongoing coverage.

Jon

[jonathan_ddr]

Originally Posted by Woodmonkey

I was hoping that someone from the UK would post this. It's been all over the news here, but you'll have the better sources.

What's this about a plane being sighted just before the explosion? Or is that more speculating by our trivial media?

News to us...!? Nothing mentioned over here.

Now saying the cloud from the fire may reach France early morning and can be seen from space.

Jon

[conlor]

That was a big explosion. Bet it would have been cool to see. From a loooonnnngggg distance!