Hemel hempstead explosions

The initial low key panic of this morning's post when I woke bleary eyed, to the news that the Buncefield oil terminal had suffered a series of explosions, has given way to a strange mix of emotions and thoughts.

My initial worry was that a member of my family or a friend may have suffered, at the time I was first aware of the incident the news was carrying only very sketchy information and the BBC was still waiting for it's reporting team to arrive at the scene. When they did at approx. 8am, having had to make their way from central London, their words and images did little to put my mind at rest but a few phone calls and texts later I had news of all those closest to me who either live or might have been in the vicinity were safe and well.....if in some cases a little shocked.

The news reports state that at this stage the police are ruling nothing out but with the information they have the cause would appear to be accidental, early in the morning, woken but something of such force one can imagine some of the scenario's that were racing through the minds of those living locally.....and I think that is where I feel quite odd because four years ago I was living with my now ex husband in one of the closest residential properties to this site.


Buncefield terminal was built originally on farmland, there was nothing around it, then came the M1 and as Hemel Hempstead grew, so did an industrial estate on the closest road, Maylands Avenue. As time passed many national and international companies like Kodak, Epson, Dixons and BSI based their world or UK headquarters there and gradually, a piece of land between the industrial estate and the oil terminal began to be developed for housing. It was one of these properties I bought.

At the time and subsequently, I occasionally made reference to the fact that I wouldn't like to be there if 'the depot ever went up', I'm not good at distance measurement but only maybe 300-600 yards of fields separated our home from this potential threat of 20 or so petrol storage tanks each with a volume of 300 million gallons....... there were only one or two residential buildings any closer.

Well now we know, as images have flashed around the Western world, what would happen if 'it went up' and whilst I don't want to detract from the horror and pain for those close or involved I am amazed that it wasn't even worse and thankful that this happened early on a Sunday morning, when the the majority of the thousands of people, my ex husband included, who work on the industrial estate and in the offices of Maylands Avenue were at home and not at work.

On a personal and selfish level I am just glad I wasn't there at all. I would now be evacuated, I am given to understand that ex-home currently has no door, windows and only part of the roof, the picture below was taken two roads away.


© Getty Images
Finally I can't help but think of something that given the number of casualties shouldn't really have even entered my head at all but did anyway. When I left that home I also left behind the real gemmak's little grave which I hated to do...... and I keep wondering at how peaceful it will be now with the windows and rubble scattered about it. On the scale of things it's not important I know but I can't help thinking about her there a tiny bit.