Firefighters set for final stage of oil blaze battle

Firefighters tackling the Buncefield oil depot blaze are ready to begin the final phase of their attack today with just three tanks remaining alight.

Hertfordshire Police assistant chief constable Simon Parr said it had been a “tough and challenging night” during which structural collapse at one tank forced firefighters to pull out briefly.

But with sufficient stocks of both foam and water at the ready, they were set to move into the fourth and final stage of their plan, he said.