The English Volcano

[SummerMorning]

Hi, just checking ... is everybody o.k.? Has anyone actually seen or felt the blast?

 

[matriarch]

Hi, just checking ... is everybody o.k.? Has anyone actually seen or felt the blast?

Excuse me?
Huh?
Where?
When?

Are you actually talking about the burning oil depot??? The one that's left a smoke signal visible from 40 miles away?? The one that's been raging for 2 days?

Hertfordshire Oil Depot Fire

 

[Liar]

Excuse me?
Huh?
Where?
When?

What she said.

Summer, the WWN is not real news.

 

[SummerMorning]

What she said.

Summer, the WWN is not real news.

So, is it actually a big story, or is it just ... er ... ho hum?

 

[NoJo]

It's big if you live within twenty miles of it, as I do, otherwise it's pretty ho-hum

 

[matriarch]

It's big if you live within twenty miles of it, as I do, otherwise it's pretty ho-hum

If we're still talking about the oil depot fire, it is not pretty ho-hum. Its still big news. I've just watched a big piece about it on BBC News here in the States. Fire crews are working around the clock in 3 hour shifts to try and control the fires.

Big pollution worries with the smoke easily visible from satellite pictures, drifting hundreds of miles, now heading all across the south of England towards France. Councils across the region are monitoring pollution levels, with particular regard to schools, and asthma sufferers.

Thank god it happened at the weekend, the depot is surrounded by office blocks, which on a weekday would have been full of people. The pictures in the report of the state of buildings - blown in windows, etc. - the injury figures would have been much, much higher.

A fire of this ferocity, and with this much potential for environmental problems will always be more than ho-hum.

 

[NoJo]

Well you do tend to get a lot of hyperbole from the international newsteams who generally try to make big stories.

The local news has gone into a lot of detail (and of course I heard the explosion and can see the smoke). It will cause ash to fall over an area, which might affect asthma sufferers for a week or so. But the main thing about it is that it's closed part of the M1.

 

[matriarch]

Well you do tend to get a lot of hyperbole from the international newsteams who generally try to make big stories.

The local news has gone into a lot of detail (and of course I heard the explosion and can see the smoke). It will cause ash to fall over an area, which might affect asthma sufferers for a week or so. But the main thing about it is that it's closed part of the M1.

Hyperbole? From the BBC. Heaven forbid!!

 

[NoJo]

Hyperbole? From the BBC. Heaven forbid!!

Yeah, unfortunetly Auntie has to compete with NBC and CNN these days.

The one thing people here are still unsure of is whether it was an accident. Of course, if I was responsible for the fire safety at an oil refinery, I'd be keen to blame someone else. Anyway the facts won't be forthcoming until after a proper investigation.

The Evening Standard, a somewhat hateful paper, predicts "poison rain". Which reminded me that there's plenty of sulphuric acid in London rain on a normal day.