Hemel Hempstead, England – Explosions ripped through a major fuel depot north of London on Sunday, injuring dozens of people, blowing doors off nearby homes and sending fireballs and massive clouds of black smoke into the sky.
Police said the blasts appeared to be accidental, though they occurred just four days after an al-Qaeda videotape appeared on the Internet calling for attacks on facilities carrying oil “stolen” from Muslims in the Middle East.
The powerful explosions, felt throughout a large swath of southeastern England, rattled nerves in a country still jittery after July’s terrorist attack on London’s subway and bus system that killed 52 people and four suicide bombers.
Hertfordshire Chief Constable Frank Whiteley said there was “nothing to suggest anything other than an accident.”
Residents said shock waves destroyed indoor light bulbs and cracked walls and ceilings.
“Around 6 a.m., as we were sleeping, there was a mighty explosion – a thunderclap that woke me up,” said Neil Spencer, 42, who lives less than a mile from the Buncefield terminal. “It was fireball after fireball – truly amazing.”
Most of the 43 people injured were treated at nearby hospitals and released after suffering cuts and bruises from shattering windows in Hertfordshire, about 25 miles north of London.
But at least two men were hospitalized, including a plant worker in serious condition, said Howard Bortkett-Jones, medical director of two local hospitals.
Noxious fumes from the fire, which left some people coughing, also affected the large number of police who sealed off the area and evacuated nearly 300 people to a bowling alley being used as a temporary shelter. About 25 policemen complained of problems such as chest tightness and shortness of breath, Bortkett-Jones said.
There were several blasts at Buncefield terminal, which stores 4 million gallons of gas, diesel, kerosene and aviation fuel. Officials warned that more could occur since it would take days to extinguish the inferno.
Panic buying of gas caused long lines at some local stations, but gas companies said shortages were unlikely since there were no other problems with the country’s refineries or with the manufacturing or distribution of petroleum products.
