Explosion at oil depot (UK)

Subject: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: Firecat
Date: 11 Dec 05 - 02:36 AM

Not a good thing to wake up to.

This is from the BBC News website.

Oil depot blasts cause casualties

Police have confirmed there were casualties at the oil depot
Three large explosions have taken place at an oil depot near Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire.
Police say there have been casualties. and officers are at the scene.

The first blast happened at 0603 GMT, at the Buncefield oil depot, close to the junction 8 of the M1 motorway 10 miles from Luton Airport.

The M1 has been closed both ways. Residents up to 30 miles from the scene reported hearing a "loud boom" and seeing flames "up to 60ft".

One eye witness told BBC News: "There are lots of houses damaged."

Witnesses said another two explosions followed the first at 0626 GMT and 0627 GMT.

The M1 near the scene has been closed in both directions.

'House shook'

Eye witness Sam Matton, who lives half-a-mile from the depot told BBC News: "The sky is sort of orange. The flames have got to be 60ft up in the air.

"I was in bed, I was actually having a bad dream and I thought the world had ended.

"The loft hatch in my house has actually fallen out, my neighbour's window has actually broken from the impact.

I am about three miles from where the explosion took place but I can see flames high in the sky and smoke billowing everywhere

Duncan Milligan

"There was a first major explosion and about three explosions after that.

Dave Franklin told BBC News: "We woke up at 0555 GMT. There was a massive loud bang which broke windows above us and to the right. The whole sky just turned orange and black.

"Several other neighbours said they did see a plane go into the depot."

Duncan Milligan, of Hemel Hempstead, said he was awoken by the explosion as his house "shook".

"There was a loud boom and the house shook violently.

"I am about three miles from where the explosion took place but I can see flames high in the sky and smoke billowing everywhere.

"There is clearly a building on fire near the motorway and police and emergency services are everywhere."

Michael Vatty said: "There have been four subsequent very loud explosions, but the main one was just after six.

"The impression was that it was a clap of thunder, but as soon as we got up we saw the flames. We had the garage door blown in, the front door was also blown in."

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: Firecat
Date: 11 Dec 05 - 02:53 AM

Sky News says the police think it was only an accident.

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 11 Dec 05 - 03:35 AM

BBC news is saying "Police are treating it as an "accident"".

Note the extra set of quotation marks - provided by the BBC, not me.

I'd rather trust the BBC than anything controlled by Murdoch, who is an enemy ofthe whole of civilisation.

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: Firecat
Date: 11 Dec 05 - 04:10 AM

ITV News are saying that as well now. Police have actually released a statement saying that no plane was involved.

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: treewind
Date: 11 Dec 05 - 04:16 AM

It never occurred to me that a plane might be involved directly.

Planes may be affected though... apparently it's a main fuel storage depot for Luton and Heathrow Airports.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Dec 05 - 04:42 AM

What has this got to do with folk music ........ are you going to write a song about it?

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 11 Dec 05 - 05:00 AM

Perhaps, GUEST. Folk music reflects events in the world (look at all the protest songs for example). But first we need to understand the events, and this thread is part of that process.

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 11 Dec 05 - 05:15 AM

By the way, Hemel is only 7 miles as the crow flies from my house, and I had been up between 4 and 5:30am. As it turned out, by the time of the explosion I was fast asleep and heard nothing. But several of my friends and ex-colleagues live in Hemel (I used to work for BP, and was myself based out of the Hemel office for a number of years). One of them living nearest to the depot (about 3/4 of a mile) was woken up by the quake-like tremor (the whole house shook), then heard the blast some 5-10 seconds later, he said. His back door is a little wobbly on its hinges now, but otherwise OK.

In the town centre (which is at a lower elevation) the smoke is settling and things are pretty murky apparently.

Not sure how much fuel there is left there - quite a bit I should imagine, the flames apparently are still high as I write this. The surrounding area is still being evacuated. More anon.

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 11 Dec 05 - 05:34 AM

Spoke to a friend in Hemel about 15 minutes ago, she too was woken up, and in common with almost everybody in her street ran out into the road in her dressing gown and nightclothes. The blast pulled open an already open window violently but didn't break it, and the hatch to her loft was lifted up. Am watching pictures of the flames and the enormous smoke plume on BBC News 24 as I type. It comes to something in this house for the TV to go on before 7PM.
Giok

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: Peter K (Fionn)
Date: 11 Dec 05 - 05:40 AM

For quite a while I thought the Beeb's rolling-news coverage was a wonderful spoof of their own series, Broken News, which for anyone who hasn't seen it is a wonderful spoof of ... rolling news.

One witness phoned in to say it was the biggest explosion he'd ever heard, and added: "I though someone had crashed into the car." Then some newscaster chipped in urgently with new information that Luton airport was reported to be "unaffected."

All a it reminiscent of that newspaper classic: "Small earthquake in Chile - not many hurt."

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 11 Dec 05 - 06:33 AM

El Greko - you must sleep like a log! We heard, and felt, the explosion in Harrow, and had to wait for the 7 o'clock news to find out what had happened.

Will it be business as usual at Snorban's tonight?

Kitty

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 11 Dec 05 - 06:36 AM

My snoring must have covered the noise. The dog must have come up the stairs and scratched at the door - I half remember that...

Nothing deters Breezy, I expect the Snorbans quiz-cum-singaround will be on as normal.

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: Firecat
Date: 11 Dec 05 - 07:31 AM

Latest is that 36 have been injured, with four serious.

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 11 Dec 05 - 07:46 AM

Only one left in hospital now, the others discharged. And the remaining one is not critical. Lucky escape I think, given the scale of the thing.

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 11 Dec 05 - 07:50 AM

So George, there's your song, "I slept while the world exploded!"

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 11 Dec 05 - 08:16 AM

It will never beat Alaska Mike's "Little Jim" about the bloke who slept throughy the big earthquake in the 80s and the tsunami that fullowed, sleeping on in the boat cabin while the wave deposited the boat in the middle of a carpark...

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 11 Dec 05 - 10:47 AM

Derek's cousin slept through the explosion - and she was only about a mile away from the fuel depot....

The smoke is blowing across Harrow today, though too high up to be a problem - it's likely to be several days before the fire is put out and the cause can be investigated properly.

Kitty

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 11 Dec 05 - 12:24 PM

I didn't hear anything. But this morning there was a line-up-of about a dozen fire-appliances from out of town along the road past our fire station, which I imagine was being used as some kind of assembly point.

They seem pretty clear that it isn't being seen as a terrorist action, which is something anyway. And given the size of it, having only two serious injuries sounds like a remarkably lucky outcome.

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 11 Dec 05 - 05:00 PM

A bloody miracle - imagine if it had happened 24 hours later....

We were affected by the black cloud that drifted over London, 2.00pm here was almost darker than 9.00pm. Glad to hear all are OK.

LTS

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 11 Dec 05 - 11:35 PM

I was expecting to see reports of traffic chaos on the A1, since the M1 was closed. My daughter had to return to Nottingham to work in the emorning, and I sent her A2 M25 M11 A14 M1 to circumnavigate both. Wondering if I should have said A2 M25 M11 A14 A1 A52 in stead.

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 12 Dec 05 - 03:58 AM

I posted in the sunset thread about the appearance of the plume from Barnet last evening.
I had just driven up from the tip of Kent and first encountered traces of the smoke well South of the river on M25.

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: Moses
Date: 12 Dec 05 - 08:41 AM

I was shaken awake (17 miles away) by the blast rattling the doors and windows. So much so that I turned on the light to check the time. Another smaller explosion about 6.20am followed. Reports said the noise could be heard in Holland and I don't doubt that. Weather conditions were said to be responsible for the range - something to do with an inversion forcing noise and smoke horizontally.

Amazing that no one was killed.

And, incidentally, Breezy did chicken out and stayed at home on Sunday night!! I went to see Tom McConville at the Rose and Crown in Snorbens where he gave an excellent performance despite trying circumstances (landlady had double booked with a private party of 70 many of whom decided to spill out of their function room and join our bar and make a lot of noise in the process). Tom, being the professional he is, carried on and entertained us with great songs and fiddle tunes.

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 12 Dec 05 - 09:55 AM

A neighbour heard it here in Ascot!! WE saw the black cloud by late afternoon.

RtS

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Dec 05 - 11:55 AM

I just thought 'The army ranges aren't usually this loud and why are they firing at this time on a Sunday morning? [Surrey/Hampshire borders]

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: Terry K
Date: 12 Dec 05 - 12:05 PM

I was up and doing when it happened. There was the most enormous clatter and my house was shaken to its footings. I thought my boiler had exploded and went downstairs expecting chaos but it was all completely quiet. Went outside but there was no sign of anything untoward so I just got on with things. Strange though, it was one hell of a blast but once I couldn't find a reason for it I lost interest - until the television was put on later. I'm about 10 miles distant.

It was very murky near my golf club at Harpenden later on, the huge pall of smoke was hiding the sun a lot of the time, but it was probably more than 3 miles away so we weren't really affected.

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: GUEST,Mingulay at work
Date: 13 Dec 05 - 11:58 AM

From my office window in Uxbridge the plume of smoke was clearly visible until lunchtime today when it seemed to fade away. Hopefully, the worst is now over.

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: danensis
Date: 13 Dec 05 - 03:50 PM

Even though this wasn't terrorist action the BBC have kindly printed maps on their web site showing where the fuel depots are and where the pipeline run. Most helpful.

I suspect Flixborough was a much worse explosion, but that wasn't within easy driving distance of Fleet Street.

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 13 Dec 05 - 04:18 PM

It petered out because the fire departments managed to extinguish all but three of the tanks early this afternoon. I had a rather good view of it from my office window in Euston - centre of London and some 20 miles or so from the blaze.

LTS

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: Peter K (Fionn)
Date: 15 Dec 05 - 09:42 PM

John Rouse, Flixborough was a much smaller incident, but also much less people-friendly. (And newspapers were a little more responsible then than they are now.)

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: danensis
Date: 16 Dec 05 - 05:21 PM

I suppose it depends on your definition of smaller. I suspect the only thing larger about Buncefield was the cost of the fuel that went up.

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: Bunnahabhain
Date: 16 Dec 05 - 07:44 PM

Flixborough was a much smaller.

It was smaller plant, in a smaller community

Smller impact on outside world. - It didn't shut the M1, or cause petrol worries

I don't know about cost, due to both inflation adjustment from Flixborough, and the fact we won't have a cost for Buncefield for some time.


Flixborough did causes dozens of fatalities though (26, IIRC). The explosion there occured in the middle of a working day. The lack of fatalities at Bucefield was down to two things, modern working and saftey practices, and sheer luck.

A modern chemical process plant is much more automated than an equivilent from the 60's. There are simply less people in harms way.

Subject: RE: Explosion at oil depot (UK)
From: robomatic
Date: 16 Dec 05 - 07:49 PM

My sympathies to all who had to breathe that awful stuff. Am very curious as to the cause.