A fire is continuing to blaze
following several explosions at
a fuel depot in Hertfordshire.
Police say
people were hurt in the blasts,
two of them seriously. Most were
treated for cuts and bruises.
The first blast took place at
6.03 am, and people as far away
as Holland reported hearing the
explosion.
Hundreds of gallons of fuel like
petrol are stored at the Buncefield
fuel depot, and the fire is said
to be the size of football pitches.
The blast is reported to have
damaged buildings and houses,
buckled front , cracked walls
and blown-out windows.
Around people living near
the Hemel Hempstead site have
been evacuated from their homes,
and police are advising other
people in the area to keep windows
and doors .
Although police said the smoke
is not poisonous, it can make
you cough, irritate your eyes
and make you feel sick.
A large plume of smoke is still
billowing out of the fuel depot,
and large black clouds are now
heading south-east and south-west
towards . Experts said it
could travel as far as mainland
.
A total of 20 petrol tanks were
thought to be involved in the
fire, with each holding around
three million gallons of fuel.
Hertfordshire Police Chief Constable
Frank Whiteley said: "We
believe now that all the tanks
that were in danger have blown
up and there should not be any
further explosions."
Buncefield is one of the fuel depots in
the country, and firefighters
say the fire may burn for as the oil burns
itself out.
Police said they believe the explosion
was an and a full investigation
into the incident has begun.
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