(Updated) BREAKING NEWS: Massive Series of Explosions rock Southern England

Sky News UK ^ | December 11, 2005

[Big Bad Bob]

Reports of up to Four Explosions at a fuel depot Near Hemel Hempstead, North West of London, according to Sky

__________________

Update:

Explosion Near London


The first picture, taken by a Sky News viewer

Map of the area

Updated: 06:41, Sunday December 11, 2005

There has been a large explosion followed by two smaller blasts in the St Albans area, around 25 miles north of London.

Sky Correspondent Sky Meade has said he can see flames about 200ft in the sky and there appears to be burning fuel.

Speaking by telephone from his home, Meade described "burning tongues" of flames in the sky.

The first blast happened at 6.03am - the other explosions followed about 20 minutes later.

Meade, a seasoned war reporter said he can see what looks like "burning aviation fuel".

"This fire is extremely intense. It is a bright orange glow on the horizon," he said.

Witnesses have told Sky News they heard the blast near Junction 8 of the M1. It is thought to be centred around Bunsfield fuel depot, near Hemel Hempstead.

The blast was felt at Sky Centre - more than 20 miles away in west London.

It was so powerful it blew out the windows at a hotel in Hemel Hempstead. There are reports of injuries there.

And one witness has told how the explosion shook his mother's house and lifted the roof.

Witnesses have told Sky News that emergency services are converging on the area.

Sky News producer Anwar Tambe heard the blast from his home in Luton and is currently stuck in traffic on the M1.

He said blasts are "going off regularly" and debris has blown onto the motorway.

More follows...

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

That's my question. Are officials discounting terrorism simply because they have nothing to point there and are just trying to avoid panic, or do they have something definite that it is an accident?

[GeronL]

I am very disappointed in the lack of screen captures

[furquhart]

That was in 1947.

Surely things must be safer now?

[thecabal]

It's astonishing that there's no live coverage on FNC or MSNBC.

Agreed. Sinister or not, this is a very significant story. Thanks Dhimmi Fox News.

[GeronL]

BUMP!

I hope your town has a quick recovery

[JWojack]

I don't even see it on Fox's website!!!

Wake up!

[Cindy]

UPDATE...

No details, but this headline:

http://www.hemeltoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=841&ArticleID=1282724

"BUNCEFIELD OIL DEPOT EXPLOSION
Sunday, December 11. Latest 8.10am: Police say they are treating the incident as an accident"

[Canard]

"Are officials discounting terrorism simply because they have nothing to point there and are just trying to avoid panic, or do they have something definite that it is an accident?"

They have nothing to indicate so far that it is not an accident. They have said that there was definately not an aircraft involved. Gas leak still seems most likely theory.

[thecabal]

The only way they could know that it was an accident for sure is if they know what the accident was. And have they said what accident occurred? Did someone smoke a cigarette somewhere they shouldn't have? Or run a truck into something they shouldn't have? Or turn on or of a valve the wrong way? What was the accident?

Without a doubt. However, given the severity of the blast, is there anyone there who is in a state to tell the authorities what that accident might have been?

[carl in alaska]

"Are you the 'thought policeman' on duty tonight?"

No, I'm not trying to tell you what to do and I wasn't referring to your posts. I was thinking more that my own posts were not treating this subject seriously enough....you know, too many LOL's and jokes early in this thead. Also, I worked in Chicago for a few years and in the midwest people tend to use "we" in place of "I", when "I" makes more sense. They say things like "we'll see you later" or "we'll take you to a real Italian restaurant", when there's only the two of you talking. I picked up that speech pattern a little bit in Chicago and sometimes I say things like "we will now assume the appropriate demeanor..." when I'm just talking about my own demeanor.

[little jeremiah]

Maybe this was mentioned already, but does anyone know if this depot is merely a storage and transport hub, or is it a refinery too?

[Canard]

"However, given the severity of the blast, is there anyone there who is in a state to tell the authorities what that accident might have been?"

There have been some people interviewed on Sky who were working on the site at the time, presumably the police have also spoken to them.

[I_Love_My_Husband]

Muslims.

Terror threat to 'crowded areas' (Nationwide Warning in UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1538138/posts SCOTLAND YARD has issued a nationwide alert that Islamist terrorist cells may be plotting a Christmas bombing campaign. The warning was distributed to police chiefs nine days ago by the Yard’s anti-terrorist branch. It follows a series of operations by police and MI5 aimed at disrupting possible attacks by terrorists linked to Al-Qaeda.

[thecabal]

There have been some people interviewed on Sky who were working on the site at the time, presumably the police have also spoken to them.

Amazing that anyone working on that site would not be dead, given the huge inferno that I saw on CNN.

[Canard]

As far as I know it's just a distribution centre, think they said earlier that they supply fuel to Luton, Heathrow and Gatwick.

There is a pipeline that brings oil there from a refinery in Linconshire apparantly - they are just talking about this now on Sky News.

[Canard]

An industrial estate at 6am on a Sunday morning hardly qualifies as a 'crowded area'. Thankfully.

[little jeremiah]

Thanks, I don't have TV, barely any radio reception out here, so FR is my sole source of news. Besides the local weekly paper for the classified ads.

[woofie]

An Oil Depot would make a potential target

[msnimje]

Isn't it interesting that the close of the stock market everyday warrants a "Fox News Alert" and this story is getting very little play?

[antaresequity]

I hope it's an accident and not terrorists

Why?