Top > World > 2005 > December > 2005-12-17

Britain recovers from oil-storage explosion

Sunday`s oil-depot explosion in central England was the biggest in peacetime Europe, and while it rattled oil markets and raised questions about safety, it may have less long-term impact than previously thought. The shock from the blast withered nearby buildings, shattered windows, and woke Britons dozens of miles away. The resulting 70-mile column of smoke was clearly visible on satellite pictures of Britain.

Questions about the causes and consequences of the disaster looked set to rage for weeks to come. No one was killed, and only two serious injuries were reported. And the smoke, sucked high into the atmosphere by unusual weather conditions, has yet to impact the environment. Fuel supplies have remain remarkably untroubled, even though the depot is the fifth largest in Britain, providing jet fuel for Heathrow Airport as well as gas for drivers.

Given recent terrorist attacks in London, theories have emerged of foul play. An Al Qaeda tape surfaced days earlier calling for attacks on the usurpers of "Muslim oil." Rumors have circulated about a light aircraft in the area before the explosion. Meanwhile, questions are being raised about the safety of maintaining vast, flammable storage facilities close to residential areas. Some houses sit as close as a half-mile to Buncefield, and 2,000 people have been evacuated.