Explosion in South east England

Former Member · December 2005

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,17532461%255E661,00.html

OMG I actually heard that explosion - I was watching TV and just after 6pm - I heard a thud on my window and a house or car alarm started sounding off!!

I live about 15 to 20 miles away from there and heard it!! :eek2:

Former Member · December 2005

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4517962.stm

Former Member · December 2005

That must have been strange, any damage done to your house?

Former Member · December 2005

Little_one wrote:

That must have been strange, any damage done to your house?

Nope - but I felt the thud on the window

Former Member · December 2005

I had a simular thing happen over the summer, I live about 5-10 mintues walk away from where the Wirlpool factor burnt down over the summer, they would not stop trains on the platform nearest to the wharehouse, so the train had to pass really slowly with all the windows shut on a hot summers day so that we di not breathe in any of the smoke. The smoke could be seen for about 40 miles away.

Former Member · December 2005

Wirlpool here is a link to the story.

It also had URL=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/4650191.stm]gas cylinders[/URL] stored in the warehouse.

Former Member · December 2005

I reckon the fog and cold dense air is why it was heard from so far away seeing as sound travels by molecules in the air banging into each other.

Former Member · December 2005

DiamondGeezer wrote:

I reckon the fog and cold dense air is why it was heard from so far away seeing as sound travels by molecules in the air banging into each other.

That's a good point, you could only hear the fire when you where at the satation, as it was a clear summers day so the air molecules had a very low density level.

Former Member · December 2005

Hmm, maybe there was an explosion in north england too, as last night there was no less than 6 alarms going off at once. More likely to be a gang of idiots though I think.

Former Member · December 2005

On the BBC they said reports of people hearing it in Bristol - that's 93 miles from hemel.

Now they're saying people are rushing to petrol stations to get fuel for their cars before a shortage happens.

Don't know how you measure the force of such an explosion but makes you think that whatever it is - it's only a fraction of the explosive power mankind is capable of producing with a atomic or nuclear bomb. Makes you glad our Nuclear wepons are kept underwater in submarines.

Former Member · December 2005

oh, God, I heard it too! My friend and I were walking to the bus stop so he can go back to Germany and it scared the life out of me.

Former Member · December 2005

oo scary stuff.

Makes ya think what would happen if it was something bigger and more powerful.

Former Member · December 2005

Am i the only one who thought it was gonna be about another terrorist attack?

Former Member · December 2005

My Uncle just came round, and said he felt it

Former Member · December 2005

DiamondGeezer wrote:

I reckon the fog and cold dense air is why it was heard from so far away seeing as sound travels by molecules in the air banging into each other.

fog tends to muffle noise.

However a temperature inversion, which is a common cause fog, causes a dense/less dense air boundry, which reflects the sound back down to ground level - causing the sound to decrease with the square of the distance, instead of the cube of the distance

Former Member · December 2005

apparently it was heard as far away as the Netherlands and France

Former Member · December 2005

Doofay wrote:

Am i the only one who thought it was gonna be about another terrorist attack?

I'm surprised no-ones tried to pass it off as one, yet.

Former Member · December 2005

~*Girl_Interrupted*~ wrote:

How on earth was it possible for people in the Netherlands to hear the explosion but not places in the north of england?!

Because they're a bit closer, and there's not as much in the way to muffle the sound:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ll=52.802761,3.603516&spn=9.865701,19.579834&hl=en

Former Member · December 2005

bad seed wrote:

I'm surprised no-ones tried to pass it off as one, yet.

A few people tried. They said they heard a low flying plane just before the explosions, but police have said there is no evidence of that, but they "are keeping an open mind".

Former Member · December 2005

TinyTitch wrote:

A few people tried. They said they heard a low flying plane just before the explosions, but police have said there is no evidence of that, but they "are keeping an open mind".

Well it is 5 miles away from Luton Airport - not surprised people can hear planes!!

Teh_Gerbil · December 2005

Wow, I heard nowt meself. Thats gotta be pretty fucking scary hearing that and not knowing what it is.

Former Member · December 2005

can any of you see the smoke?

Former Member · December 2005

It occurred to me for places like this why don't they build firefighting equipment onsite - like towers placed around the facility that over look the tanks and that can throw water on to the remaining tanks to keep them cool and foam to smother the burning buildings?

Right now the fireservices are having to have foam brought in from all over the country in big quantities and only then can they begin doing anything to tackle it.

Same thing with the huge towers in New York, fire fighting trucks can only do so much and reach a few floors up but why not have fire fighting equipment placed on the roof of various buildings to protect it's neighbours and vice versa.

Former Member · December 2005

it must have been well scary to be near there, look at the damage to the things near by

Former Member · December 2005

It's a bit like the perfect storm - 6am on a Sunday morning - you couldn't find a time when less people were around - imagine same thing happening at 9am on a monday morning - They'd be a lot more injuries ..

Former Member · December 2005

i cant understand why they need to close all the schools tomorrow. Every single school in my area is closed as a "safety precaution"

and those panic petrol buyers.. grr

Former Member · December 2005

DiamondGeezer wrote:

It's a bit like the perfect storm - 6am on a Sunday morning - you couldn't find a time when less people were around - imagine same thing happening at 9am on a monday morning - They'd be a lot more injuries ..

I heard something about it on the radio and they said that workers were arriving to start a shift at 6am.

Trivial, I know, but ASOS.com is temporarily closed as their warehouse is in Hemel Hempstead and they've been affected. "Currently assessing the damage, please come back later" says their website.

Former Member · December 2005

Crystal Tipps wrote:

I heard something about it on the radio and they said that workers were arriving to start a shift at 6am.

Trivial, I know, but ASOS.com is temporarily closed as their warehouse is in Hemel Hempstead and they've been affected. "Currently assessing the damage, please come back later" says their website.

What do ASOS do? I looked at the website but it don't say

Former Member · December 2005

olaola wrote:

i cant understand why they need to close all the schools tomorrow. Every single school in my area is closed as a "safety precaution"

and those panic petrol buyers.. grr

Should we be stockpiling petrol? :nervous:

Former Member · December 2005

DiamondGeezer wrote:

What do ASOS do? I looked at the website but it don't say

AsSeenOnScreen.com - clothing and gifts etc.

Former Member · December 2005

i live about 8 miles from it, the noise woke me up. you can still see it burning this morning! it was heard as far away as holland thats how huge it was!

Explosion in South east England

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