Cause of Buncefield blaze still a mystery
Peter Law
This is Local London, UK
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The cause of the Buncefield oil depot blast, which led to the biggest peace-time blaze seen in Europe, is still unknown.The Major Incident Investigation Board said in its progress report that "extensive damage to the site" had delayed the investigating team in carrying out a thorough forensic examination.
A series of blasts at the oil depot on December 11, near Hemel Hempstead, north of London, led to a three-day inferno and a massive plume of black smoke.
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Blast: From Archives
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The blasts injured 43 people and were heard as far away as the Netherlands.Buncefield Investigation manager Taf Powell said evidence pointed the cause of the fire "to the formation of a flammable mixture of petrol, or similar spirit, and air that ignited, leading to the explosions and fire."
While the source of the fuel release is not yet known, CCTV records and witness statements indicate it was in the vicinity of a bund in the HOSL West site.Witnesses described a mist at about "head height" just before 6am on the morning of the blast.
The witnesses described a strong smell and said their car engines started revving uncontrollably, running rough and stalling.
feb 22, 2006
Peter Law
This is Local London, UK
__________________
The cause of the Buncefield oil depot blast, which led to the biggest peace-time blaze seen in Europe, is still unknown.The Major Incident Investigation Board said in its progress report that "extensive damage to the site" had delayed the investigating team in carrying out a thorough forensic examination.
A series of blasts at the oil depot on December 11, near Hemel Hempstead, north of London, led to a three-day inferno and a massive plume of black smoke.
____________
Blast: From Archives
____________
The blasts injured 43 people and were heard as far away as the Netherlands.Buncefield Investigation manager Taf Powell said evidence pointed the cause of the fire "to the formation of a flammable mixture of petrol, or similar spirit, and air that ignited, leading to the explosions and fire."
While the source of the fuel release is not yet known, CCTV records and witness statements indicate it was in the vicinity of a bund in the HOSL West site.Witnesses described a mist at about "head height" just before 6am on the morning of the blast.
The witnesses described a strong smell and said their car engines started revving uncontrollably, running rough and stalling.
feb 22, 2006
