Oil depot inferno: Fire-fighters get go-ahead

Fire-fighters have been given the go-ahead to tackle one of the biggest fires in Britain since the Second World War after satisfying environmental concerns.

The operation to create a “foam blanket” to put out the huge inferno at the Buncefield oil depot near Hemel Hemsptead was due to begin at midnight but was delayed after fears that water supplies could be affected.

Hertfordshire Police said the bid to douse the fire by using 250,000 litres of foam, mixed with 25,000 litres of water per minute, would now start shortly.

A spokeswoman for Hertfordshire Police said: ``Following close liaison, the fire service, police and the Environment Agency are all satisfied that plans to smother the flames with a water and foam concentrate can commence shortly without risk of run-off into water supply systems.

“A specialist crane has been brought in to assist the operation.”

The blaze continued to burn violently as a huge cloud of black smoke - covering the South East of England – shrouded the area.

Police reminded residents to stay indoors and keep windows and doors closed, with dust and soot particles continuing to spread from the thick plume of smoke.

Doctors said that asthma sufferers and the elderly may be more susceptible to the effects of the smoke as environmental health chiefs assessed the impact of the blasts.

Only two people were seriously injured among 43 casualties after flames shot hundreds of feet into the sky following the blasts early yesterday.

Firefighters spent yesterday containing the blaze with a “water curtain” between the raging flames and the remaining unexploded fuel tanks.

Seven out of more than 20 tanks remained intact. Each was said to hold three million gallons of fuel.

It is hoped the affected area can be be brought under control by smothering it with foam.

The necessary materials and equipment were gathered from around the country to ensure the task was completed successfully.

The water will be pumped from the Grand Union Canal, two miles away, using high- pressure hoses.

The noise of the first blast, which happened just after 6am at the fuel terminal in Leverstock Green, close to junction 8 of the M1, could be heard up to 100 miles away, sparking fears of a terrorist attack or a plane crash.

But police soon said they were treating the incident as an accident.

Flames leapt more than 200ft in the sky and people living nearby had their windows and doors blown out and roofs damaged.

Around 2,000 people living close to the site were evacuated earlier, while police advised others to keep windows and doors closed because of the thick plume of smoke rising from the flames, clearly seen by satellite pictures as a thick blob dispersing east, west and southwards.

One man who was standing 200 yards away from the blast site was being treated in the intensive care unit of Watford General Hospital for injuries to his lungs.

A second person was under observation at Hemel Hempstead General Hospital.

Most injuries were from the “secondary” effect of the blasts, such as cuts from glass and grit in eyes.

Hertfordshire’s Chief Fire Officer Roy Wilsher: “This is possibly the largest incident of its kind in peacetime Europe.

“The damage a fire of this intensity will cause may, or may not, leave clues for the fire investigation team.”

One worker at the fuel terminal, who was just 500ft away from the blast when it ripped through the depot, described running for his life with other colleagues.

Terry Hine, who lives near Heathrow, said: “I am just so glad I am here. I shouldn’t be here.”

He said: “We were less than 500ft away from it surrounded by gasoline, kerosene, diesel... I just got out.

“Instinct takes over. It keeps you going. I just can’t believe it. The firemen were going the other way towards it.”

Security guard Raheel Ashraf, who had been inside a building close to the depot, described being blown off his feet in the blasts and said: “It was like being in hell.”

Newlywed Mr Ashraf, 26, landed unconscious and came round seconds later to be confronted by giant flames. He then leapt 15ft from a window to escape the shattered building.

He said: “All I could hear was this long thundery sound – the after-effects of the bang. I went through one window and landed in a pile of bricks and broken glass.”

He added: “I was in too much shock to run – my legs just gave way. I just crawled through on my hands and knees praying I would get out alive.”

He was helped to his feet by two men but does not know what happened to them.

The Highways Agency said the M1 has reopened but junction 8 to Hemel Hempstead will remain closed as will the southbound slip road at junction 9.

The M10 northbound will remain closed for at least a number of days and will be used as a mustering point for emergency services.

At Heathrow Airport, some flights were forced to delay landing because of smoke, but Luton Airport was said to be operating as usual.

The Environment Agency said it was assessing the potential environmental impact of the blasts, while Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott visited the scene last night.

Hertfordshire Police Chief Constable Frank Whiteley said he expected the industrial estate surrounding the depot to be closed today and urged workers at the site to check before leaving for work.

He said schools in Hemel Hempstead and other areas of Hertfordshire would also be closed and he urged parents to check before allowing children to leave home.

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 Airports.

The country’s fifth largest fuel distribution depot, it is also used by BP, Shell and British Pipeline.

The oil industry is working together to minimise the effect of the blasts on fuel distribution, a spokesman said.

All nine refineries in the UK are fully operational with no problems related to the manufacture or petroleum products or their distribution, other than at Buncefield.

Motorists were advised not to panic-buy at fuel pumps as supplies were expected to be unaffected.