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Local News
Buncefield Oil Depot explosion
Sunday 11 December, Just after 6am
Following a series of large explosions at the Buncefield Oil Depot which caused substantial damage to the surrounding area, a huge fire burned for more than three days in Hemel Hempstead and sent black smoke drifting up to 40 miles away. 2,000 people were evacuated in nearby areas. Firefighters took several days to extinguish the blaze in 20 fuel tanks, which was the biggest in post war Europe. Firefighting facts - it took:
- Six high-pressure pumps
- 150,000 litres of foam concentrate
- 15m litres of water
- 30km of hose
- 180 firefighters
- 26 fire engines
- 20 support vehicles
- 75% of Hertfordshire fire personnel on site at least once
- Support from 16 other brigades
The Industrial Estate and immediate surrounding areas were cordoned off and the motorways closed until the blaze was under control. Residents were told to stay indoors with the windows and doors closed. Only Forty-three people were injured, only two seriously. Surrounding areas of Industrial Estate and some nearby houses were decimated. It doesn't bear thinking about what the casualty numbers would have been had this happened during a working day.
The Buncefield depot is a major distribution terminal operated by Total and part-owned by Texaco, storing oil and petrol as well as kerosene which supplies airports across the region, including Heathrow and Luton. The Depot has been in Hemel Hempstead since 1968. Police say there is "nothing to suggest" the fire was anything other than an accident. We await the findings of an inquiry into the incident.
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