(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...

[Caipirabob]

OMG...Prayers going out immediately for our good friends and allies.

Ready to donate for relief even here from Wilma-Struck Boca if need be...

[hershey]

How do you protect all that area, along with every other sensitive point? Time to fill up those not so secret Polish prisons.

[AmeriBrit]

Thankyou for your kind thoughts. They're about 3/4 mile away from the plant. Surprisingly they're both very calm, I'm the one that in a panic because there's nothing I can do to help.
They've been told on the local radio not to panic buy gasoline for the cars as it's only aviation fuel that's been lost but that's the opposite to what we're hearing.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Wouldn't take them long to find out as they share offices and staff.

[syriacus]

  Fina-Line

is the major link between Lindsey Oil Refinery and TOTAL's Buncefield Terminal in Hertfordshire, which is a joint venture with Texaco. Completed in the summer of 1990, it marked the start of a new era for the company's logistics and offers a safe, environmentally-friendly method of distribution.

Fina-Line also connects to another pipeline leading into London Heathrow, the world's busiest airport. At certain peak times, it is Fina-Line alone that enables Heathrow to maintain operations.

It stretches over a total of 140 miles, crossing 158 roads, 13 main rivers and 7 railway lines along the way.

Horizontal directional drilling enables Fina-Line to cross rivers while entirely avoiding damage to the riverbeds and banks and interference with the water flow.

Fina-Line is 10inches in diameter, and approximately 235km long, with a pressure of 110bar. It has a capacity of 6million litres per day.

[msnimje]

I believe that. Don't their home "offices" have nine circles?

[palmer]

They've been told on the local radio not to panic buy gasoline for the cars as it's only aviation fuel that's been lost but that's the opposite to what we're hearing.

Could be both:

With its close proximity to the M1 motorway, the Buncefield oil depot has become one of the UK's major distribution terminals. Reported to have a storage capacity of 150,000 tonnes, Buncefield holds massive stocks of not only oil and petrol but also the aviation fuel kerosene, used to supply airports across the region including Heathrow and Luton just 10 miles away. The depot itself first came into use in 1968 but for the last 15 years has been run as a joint venture by oil giants Total and Texaco. It is also used by the other leading petrol firms BP and Shell. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/TGD/tgdBreakingNewsDisplay/0,,2,00.html#0

[palmer]

From the same link:

Initial reports said witnesses heard a plane going overhead shortly before the first explosions - but police were quick to dismiss that suggestion, insisting the incident was an "accident".

[syriacus]

Here's how they "protect " 140 miles of pipeline--

We carry out regular maintenance on our pipelines in order to preserve their safe condition.

This includes aerial surveillance and walking the route annually to ensure that the pipeline remains free from unauthorised activity.

The pipelines protection includes cathodic protection and regular inspection which however, cannot prevent accidental damage by third party intervention. ‘Third Party’ interference is proven to be the major cause of damage to underground pipelines. If you are aware of any ‘third party’ activity in the vicinity of the pipeline, please call us

I hope no caribou along the route have been disturbed.

[Chickensoup]

The suspicious thing to me is these reported statements already released by police that this blast appears to be accidental. It's way too soon for statments like that if you ask me. That tends to make me think this may not be accidental and police know it.


The credibility of the authorities is nil. No one knows what happened, but we do know that they may cover it up. Only God knows the twisted logic involved here.

[palmer]

More from the Times:

Security sources say the threat from Islamic terrorists is as great as ever it was. At least five suspected terror cells are being monitored by police and MI5. The cells are said to be at various stages of planning independent attacks here and abroad.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1869844,00.html

[Bon mots]

CNN just had the blurb "Police say explosion DEFINATELY an accident".

Yeah, right.
Same crap they say every time whether or not it's true.
They tried to tell us the same thing after the terrorist attack in peaceful Tunis... until the truth got out.
Said the same thing about the French factory explosion which blew up half of Toulouse in 2001.

[hershey]

Let's hope British police are checking flying schools for anyone taking lessons, but didn't want to bother to learn to land.

[cricket]

DEFINATELY?

LOL. . .

[janetjanet998]

witnesses now report they heard the explosions in the netherlands and northern france

[Bon mots]

Surely these things are designed not to blow up from things like gas leaks and cigarette butts. What could have caused such a thing?

A well aimed shot from a 50 cal.? An RPG shot from the motorway? A mortar? A plug of Semtex? A Muslim suicide bomber?

[palmer]

From the BBC eyewitness accounts:

Hopefully it's a natural accident...

You know it brought back the war, first of all I thought it was thunder, then I thought it can't be...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolavconsole/ukfs_news/hi/nb_wm_fs.stm?nbram=1&nol_index=in_depth/uk/2005/oil_depot_eyewitnesses&news=1&nbwm=1&bbwm=1&bbram=1

[cricket]

witnesses now report they heard the explosions in the netherlands and northern france

Incredible. . .probably heard/felt, in the next world as well. . .'both of them' perhaps. . . ;^)

[eastforker]

An RPG shot from the motorway? Something along that nature. Close to freezing temps and you would be hard pressed to ignite gasoline let alone get it to explode. Explosions require massive vapors and cold temps keep that in check. Kerosene is very explosive when heated but I have heard of no reports of fire before the explosion.

[Flavius]

there is alive report now on bbc, guy in the building was smelling gasoline odor before detonation,

he was at the bbuilding

house collapsed around him, he walked/jumped from 2nd story building down, on debris

he said the building was gone... amazing, guy had scratches...

bbc has live reports ...