Explosion: Your Reports

7:01pm UK, Sunday December 11, 2005

A series of explosions at the Buncefield fuel depot 25 miles north of London has injured 43 people.

The force of the blasts - which were heard up to 100 miles away - sent flames shooting 200ft into the sky.

The oil depot burns

It has been described as the "largest incident of its kind in peacetime Europe".

We asked you to email us with your experiences and pictures.

Here are some of your reports:

I was travelling from Milton Keynes to my workplace in Harrow and had recently joined the M1 at Junction 9 when the blast occurred. My MPV lifted onto its left side and I initially though I had been hit by another vehicle or driven over something large on the M1 carriageway. The noise was deafening and many other cars also pulled over wondering what they had hit. We then saw the huge 200ft high flames to our right and I knew straight away that the storage depot had gone up as I regularly drive pass it as we have a facility in the same industrial estate. I have never seen flames like it; the area alight was enormous. Debris then rained down on the carriageway as I carried on southbound to work; my heart returning to my chest sometime later. My wife rang from Milton Keynes asking if I knew what had happened as the blast had shook the house and woke them all up.
Heath Stimpson, Milton Keynes, Bucks

I live in Leverstock Green, Hemel Hempstead. My family were literally thrown out of bed just after 6am when the house 'jumped' from the boom of the first main explosion. I caught the tail-end of the fireball and a spark-like firework effect when I looked out of my window. You could tell easily which direction the blast was in so my first reaction was to look over towards the motorway. At first we all thought a plane had come down, but then we turned on the tv, heard more explosions, and realised what had happened. We didn't have any damage luckily (except the loft hatch being blown out), but we were all in shock when it happened. The extent of the blast was incredible. The noise was just immense and the shockwave was amazing.
Stephanie Memczak, Hemel Hempstead

We were woken by the explosions at 6am, but did not know at that time what they were. We are 80 miles away in Trimley-St-Mary, Suffolk!
John Cook

I did not hear the bang, but the doors of the shop I run shook violently. I thought it was a break-in!
Barry Hawthorne, Welwyn Garden City

We live in Naphill, High Wycombe. We were awoken at 6.20am to the sound of what could only have been a mass explosion. The house shook. We thought somewhere nearby had been bombed. From our bedroom window we could see a cloud of smoke with the underside illuminated. We can now see the smoke bellowing from the ground, and we live many miles away.
Mark Stone and Cheryl Bangs

I live in Marlow, Bucks and at 6.04 this morning I couldn't understand why the house shook. I walked around the landing to check on everything and went back to bed. I was totally surprised when I watched the news at breakfast time.
Christine Calvert

I was going to Northamption on the M1 left lane, when I felt as if someone had hit me from my left side. My car slipped to the middle lane. A second later I saw large flames coming exactly from my left. I was exactly opposite this site. I can't come to terms that I might have met a major accident if some other car was in the middle lane behind me. I had there are no further casualties.
Ranjeet

I live in Woodhall Farm, Hemel Hempstead, approx half a mile from the scene. I was woken up just after 6am by what I thought was a storm, but then the flats started to shake and there were loud noises so I knew something was very wrong. I rushed out to my rabbits in the garden room and the patio door was shaking in my hand so the effects lasted for ages. One window had been blown out and then we went into the garden and saw the flames and smoke rising over the tree tops. It was quite terrifying, I thought a plane had come down. Lots of black smoke here now.
Val Sheridan

Oh my God, we live in Aylesbury and my house shock. My partner and I thought it was an earthquake - God only knows how loud it must have been in Hemel.
Lucy and Paul

I was woken up just after 6am with the French doors that lead to the outside of my bedroom rattling so much that I thought someone was trying to get in. I got up and walked around the flat expecting to see a robber. I live just outside of Slough.
Craig

I have heard two sonic booms in the early morning and I live in the Netherlands, 238 miles from London! The pressure wave went all over the Northsea, that's how strong it was.
Bas de Jong, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

We've been watching your report on the 'Blast' in Hemel Hempstead. I can confirm that we awoke to what we thought to be thunder approximately at 6am this morning. My parents and other family members also heard a 'bang', thinking it was damage to with their own properties! We live in Felixstowe, Suffolk! At least 100 miles away!
Jane Bowden

We live in Bicester in Oxfordshire and was woken at about 6am by a loud noise and our bedroom walls shaking.
Emma and Mike, Bicester

Just to let you know that my father and I both felt the explosion from Uxbridge which is some 25 miles away! The picture frames in my room shook off the wall!
Dan Jacobs

The explosion woke us and we live in Bungay on the Norfolk/Suffolk border, at least 100 miles from Hemel Hempstead.
Beryl Collins

I was woken up at 6 o'clock by what sounded like a huge clap of thunder and my windows rattling. I got up to look outside but it was clear so I couldn't imagine what the noise was - I could only think it was a helicopter.
Mandy, Woking

The blast was so loud in Uxbridge we called the local fire brigade thinking some local shops had blown up.
Mar, Uxbridge 

My boyfriend got up to go to work this morning and said that the windows shook here in Bedford. I was woken in bed. I thought initially it was thunder, but then thought it was just a huge gust of wind or an earthquake aftershock.
Jill, Bedford

We live in Aylesbury and the blast woke us up about 6.05 and the house shook like a large lorry thundering past. We then heard 2 or 3 more rumbles which we initially thought were thunder.
Lorraine and Simon Neal

I work nights at a home near Folkestone and shortly after 6am this morning the was a loud rumble like thunder and the house shook!!
Amie

Heard blast and felt house shake slightly at 6am this morning here in Stevenage. Didn't think much of it untill I saw your news coverage.
Roger Dempsey, Stevenage

I was at work this morning at Luton Airport. The blast was so strong I thought there had been an earthquake. I dragged my colleague out of the office. I feared the building was about to collapse.
Dominic Fiata, Luton

I was awoken by a sound similar to thunder at about 6.10. It must have been some explosion for the sound to have travelled over 100 miles and was still lound enough to wake me!
Gary Walker, Norwich

We live in Woking (Surrey) and were awoken by the blast this morning. I initially thought the roof had fallen in. It also woke up the dog, who was alert to protect us just in case!
Alex and Debz, Surrey

We live in Ewhurst near Cranleigh Surrey and heard a loud boom noise three times that shook our front door. Our dog went mad barking around the house. It wasn't until 6.45 when we turned the telly on we new what it was. We were already awake with our young children so perhaps thats why we heard it!!
Sharon Welland

I was opening my store in Ewell in Surrey at just after 6am when I heard the explosion. It is a quiet residential area so no cars were around. At first I thought it was thunder but I didn't see lightning and there were no clouds around. Then I thought it was a small tremor but nothing else happened. I didn't think much of it until I heard the news an hour later at 7am and the first customer came in and told me she heard it too!!!
Amit Amin, Epsom, Surrey

I live in Hatfeild and was woken up at around 6:10am by a very loud noise which made the windows and doors of my flat shake! At the time we couldn't find a reason, until there were reports on the news. When I travel to Hemel I drive past the depo and had noticed the smell from the place and always wondered if this was safe?
Rhyan Smith, Old Hatfield

We live in Ipswich, Suffolk, 91 miles from Hemel Hempsted. We heard a loud boom at approx 6.05am. We were awake at the time. The house shook.
Russell Broadley

We live about 2 miles from the explosion - we were awakened by a rumble and then an enormous thud - the like of which I've never heard before. On looking out of the window we could see the whole sky lit up orange and flames leaping above the houses. Our initial thought was that a plane had clipped our house and had crashed on the houses just near us. We then heard at least three more smaller explosions. Now all we can see is huge plumes of black smoke.
Eve Fenwick, Woodhall Farm, Hemel Hempstead

We were woken up by the explosion just after 6am. And we knew it was an explosion. We live in Richmond, Surrey and thought it was very close by. Have just switched Sky News on to find out it was actually in Hemel Hemstead.
Maria Poltorak, Richmond, Surrey

I live in Felixstowe, 80 miles or so from Hemel Hempstead, and heard a double large explosion from my bed. My wife and I first thought the port had suffered it sounded that close. We couldn't believe how far the noise had travelled.
Steve Hulme, Felixstowe

I live in Warfield which is just outside Bracknell. I heard the explosion which was like a rumble and I seriously thought something had happened to the roof. I got up to make a cup of tea and very gingerly opened the bedroom door, half expecting to see part of the house missing.
Vivien Wright

Both my husband and myself heard a distant boom at just gone 6 this morning, we live in Leagrave in Luton. It was enough to look outside to see if there had been an incident.
Nigel and Barb Hudson, Tenby Drive, Luton

I live in Didcot Oxfordshire and we have a Power Station nearby. As I lay awake this morning not knowing why, about 6.08am I heard a rumble then house and windows shock for a few seconds. I wondered whether there were problems at the Power Station. I leapt out of bed to see if I could see anything but it all looked normal. I thought I had imagined it all until I switched the TV on just now! That must have been one hell of a blast as we are miles away from the scene.
Karen Latimer

I have just flown over the site on a commercial flight with BA. The fire is still large enough to see every detail clearly, even from 23,000ft. The captain reported that the smoke was rising to about 8000 feet. We flew almost directly overhead.
Chris Nutton

We heard are conservatory roof vibrate sounding like men jumping on it and the doors shock and we thought someone was trying to brake in we heared it just after 6am.
Mark Dudley, North Hayes, Hillingdon

I live in St Albans in the Batchwood area, just across a wood separating us from the scene of the blast, we were awoken by a massive thunder above our roof, (initially I thought I was having a nightmare as we just seen the film "The War of the Worlds"!) followed by a massive explosion, our loft hatch opened by itself. Could it have been a plane targeted to the depot? We really think so, i heard it!
Manuel Resua, St Albans

I was woken at around 6 by the loudest bang I've ever heard in my life which was shortly followed by 2 smaller explosions. From my house all you can see is flames roaring into the air and thick black smoke. The only way I can describe is the sort of scene like 9/11 where the smoke has just engulfed the town.
Paul Wakelin

I live in a village called Boughton, just outside Canterbury in Kent. Shortly after 6 this morning, I heard a very deep rumble (which I put down to a lorry on the nearby A2, or possibly thunder). I think this was the Herts explosion as it fits with the time. It was a very low boom, which was sustained - as I said, like a lorry rumbling past. Whilst not being terrifically loud, it was enough to make me stir and look at the clock.
Alec Murrell, Boughton, Kent

My wife and I felt what must have been an aftershock in Swindon about 6.20am. Neither of us are sleeping well (my wife is six months pregnant with my first child) but we both sat upright as we heard the bedroom door bang - so much so that we believed there must be someone in the house. I believe what we heard was the door shaking in it's frame as a result of an aftershock.
Mark & Lynda, Swindon, Wiltshire

I live in Harlow, Essex about 20-25 miles away and you can clearly see the plume of smoke. It seems to be dispersing due south towards London and already looks to stretch for miles southwards.
Andrew Souter, Harlow, Essex

I live in Wembley and my daughter woke at 6am as I was putting her back to bed I heard the blast. I looked out of the window expecting to see flames or something close by but I couldn't see anything and went back to bed. I couldn't believe the news when I saw the explosion was in Hemel Hempstead which is miles away from Wembley.
Beverley

We live in Amersham, Bucks and were woken up at 6.01am by our barn shaking and a very loud noise. We thought that it was a very large roll of thunder and thought it was a bit strange because of the weather conditions, fog and frost!! Then at about 6.20am there were two more 'thunder rolls' and we decided that it could only have been a strange thunder storm. We have just got up and seen your news broadcast and have now realised what it was. We have got the toxic cloud over us at the moment it is dirty grey/black and you can also smell oil.
Mel and Alf Chapinal

I live in Stanmore and around 6am an enormous blast woke me and my family up. I looked out the window and there was no sign of anything happened. I went back to sleep for a couple of hours and woke up, looked at the news and see what you know at the moment.
Gideon Pyzer

I live in Chelmsford Essex. Myself and girlfriend didn't actually hear the blast but thought it really strange as to why we were both wide awake just after six this morning. If it was heard in Frinton on sea, 25 miles from us then it must have been the oil depot blast that woke us. Thoughts go out to those at the scene.
Chris Church

I live in Bicester in Oxfordshire, and at just after six this morning, I heard a rumbling noise then the front windows of my house rattled.
Penny Pring

I woke up suddenly at about 6am because of a thud and my bedroom door rattling suddenly. It was a strange sound and I couldn't understand it, but it was enough for me to be woken and get up to check the situation. Having read this news, I am wondering if the cause was this explosion. I live in Sunningdale Berks. Could it be possible over this distance? If so, it must have been an almighty explosion.
Ingrid Fell

My colleagues at work this morning could hear the blast from as far away as Yately and Farnborough in Hampshire.
Anon