The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: Roxy on October 03, 2009, 11:42:27 pm
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Last night just after tea time, there was an almighty bang, and then all hell broke loose, with sirens, police, fire and ambulance rushing through to the next village. There had been a big explosion, at a factory that makes plastic, and I think the chemicals were what exploded. As we have 5 ponies on the outskirts of that village, my OH drove over to check on them. He had to go a long way round, as the roads were closed. village was thick with smoke, and the smell of burning plastic was horrible. Ponies were running round the field, having heard the blast, and then the smoke and big flames .....at least they are up on the hillside, so not as bad smokewise.
Horrible smell lingering today, and plenty of smoke still. 80 Residents evacuated, and only allowed home late afternoon. I was surprised how far the glass from the windows had blown. Thank goodness, workers had left for home when it happened. Factory backs on to an off road riding and biking trail and I am sure theere would be people on the trail, and also dog walkers, at that time .....nothing left of the factory now, .......
Just a small community here, and this has shocked everyone, a lot of local people worked there. I know it provided jobs, but its frightening to think what damage can be caused with an explosion. Imagne had it happened when the factory was working .......
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Gosh, that must have been so scary! Glad no-one was hurt and that your animals were safe. As to the jobs that ave been lost it must be so much more difficult because there is a recession too. And so near Christmas too. I hope they manage to find other jobs for people.
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Dang Roxy that's terrible!!! :o Have your ponies settled back down? I'm so sorry for your community.
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Must have scared everyone and all sorts of things would have ran through peoples minds and of course all the other animals around, I bet some birds died if they had been roosting near!!!! On the posotive side, people did not get hurt, I hope they clear it all soon, makes you wounder as things like that can be insurance claims for businesses going under!!!! Only my negative side talking, sorry to mr and mrs factory owner!!
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Oh dear, how awful.
Hope the ponies settled, and things turn out alright
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Glad that you're ok and the ponies are ok.
That sounds very scary and upsetting for the whole village
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Ponies are fine - got over their shock now. They are lucky to be up on the hill, the smoke in the valley was awful. But horses do not like fire and smoke, and that probably upset them as much as the big blast.
Off road tracks still closed today because of the glass all around still. We drove up on to the hill side and looked down at the industrial estate. Nothing left of the factory, it really took hold when it got on fire. At least there was plenty of water to put on it ....its right next to a lake. Not sure about the fish in the lake surviving ......and the poor ducks and geese on the lake, and other birds etc. as its all countryside round here.
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How horrid. Must have frightened the daylights out of everyone nearby. We heard the big one in High Wycombe a few years ago and we were in Kent! Just shows how far the sound/shock wave travels. At least people can understand what's happening. You can't tell your animals it's all ok. Glad they seem to have settled down.
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What a shock.
Makes you appreciate and feel for people living in Lebanon and Afghanistan and other
war torn countries who have to put up with this on a daily basis.
We must be the only generation that has not had to live through a war, or remember
air raid shelters etc. My Mum is 70, and can remember her childhood being scary.
Lets hope our kids never experience war - bombs and explosions etc.
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Wow Roxy - scary stuff and poor locals the reverberations of this explosion will go on for months - employment, environmental impact and just the general peace of the community.
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Lets hope our kids never experience war - bombs and explosions etc.
911 was pretty damn bad here in the US, even though we didn't live right where the terrorist were attacking, we had no way at the time to know what was coming next. We were instructed to go pick up our children from school. It changed all our lives in one way or the other.