Massive Fire Rips Through UK Town, Stunning Onlookers as Images Flood Twitter
A massive fire resulting from more than 300 tons of burning plastic erupted in the town of Hessle near Hull, United Kingdom, on Wednesday.
Video clips and photos shared on social media show an enormous mushroom cloud of smoke caused by the raging inferno and explosions.
Incredible footage captured by our drone at the incident in Hessle.
Our crews and partner agencies worked quickly to bring this fire under control and reduce the impact to other buildings and land. We’re still onsite to make sure everything remains safe.#Teamwork #MultiAgency pic.twitter.com/SXyWU9VRK0— Humberside Fire & Rescue (@HumbersideFire) November 25, 2021
The fire led to evacuations and road closures and the rerouting of bus services, BBC reported. Fortunately, there were no injuries, according to the outlet.
The Hessle fire started at around 4 p.m. local time in a factory owned by Thompsons Plastics, local outlet Hull Live reported.
Residents speaking to Hull Live reported that as the fire began spewing plumes of black smoke over the city, they heard “loud bangs” and “huge explosions every 10 seconds.”
God that’s intense. Many explosions been going off regularly. Hope no one is hurt. #hessle #fire pic.twitter.com/jpaJlKod00
— Matt Scaum (@Scaumy) November 24, 2021
One resident told the outlet that the explosions were “like bombs” and that debris similar to “coal” was falling on his garden.
According to Hull Live, some reports said that residents faced power outages.
Shout out to our crews and partner agencies ?.
They worked quickly to bring the large fire in Hessle under control and reduced the impact to other buildings.
There were no injuries or loss of life down to management actions and evacuation process. #Teamwork #MultiAgency pic.twitter.com/yKywtclCcA— Humberside Fire & Rescue (@HumbersideFire) November 25, 2021
The local police and fire departments were at the scene and were working to bring the flames under control. Authorities advised locals to stay away from the area of the fire and to keep their doors and windows closed, according to the Express.
Emma Hardy, the Labour member of Parliament responsible for Hull West and Hessle, told her constituents to keep themselves safe during the blaze.
“I am hearing reports of a fire at the Thompsons plastics factory in Hessle. Please stay safe whilst the emergency services do everything they can to deal with this awful incident,” Hardy said in a Wednesday post on Twitter.
2) Humberside Fire and Rescue ask residents to ‘close windows and doors’. The fire service confirm: “We’re currently in attendance at an incident in the Hessle area.
Police ask people to avoid the area and Humberside Police confirmed they are on the scene…— Emma Hardy MP (@EmmaHardyMP) November 24, 2021
At the peak of the fire, the fire department had 14 fire engines deployed to the scene, according to the BBC.
While discovering the reason for the fire might take several days, the department said that the 330 tons of rigid plastic onsite served as the primary fuel for the fire, the report said.
“We are really confident the risk is incredibly low from those products combustion now, because we’ve knocked the fire down so significantly,” Humberside Fire and Rescue director Jason Kirby told the BBC.
“Any dangerous products in there, because of the high temperatures, will have burned off and shouldn’t impact any of the community,” he said.
Many on social media were shocked by images of the blaze.
Crikey it’s dreadful ?
— Yorkshire Lass (@patbrian65) November 24, 2021
Oh that is scary!!
— Jackdawess (@jackdawess) November 24, 2021
Crazy fire in Hessle opposite us. pic.twitter.com/dt8Lq0Jahm
— Steve George (@bimbono7) November 24, 2021
Incredible photo
— Chris Blacksell DL (@FireChiefChrisB) November 24, 2021
Darren Spence, who said his father worked near the plastics factory, wrote on Twitter in a Thursday morning post that the site had been “burnt to the ground.”
My dad works next door to the #Hessle plastics factory. Sent me pics this morning – the entire thing has burnt to the ground.
By the way, that’s not snow, it’s foam.#Hull #fire pic.twitter.com/Nw9QOWfcxl
— Darren Spence (@dazzar86) November 25, 2021
The All Saints Church Hall opened its doors for those unable to go back home as a result of the fire, according to the BBC.
“We ended up with just the one person who needed our services — we could have accommodated 100. It was a good result,” church treasurer Stuart Pictar told the outlet.
A neighbor expressed worries that several people in the area might have about their jobs at the burned-down site.
“It is a local business we’ve lost. It’s very sad. Hessle is a small community anyway and a lot of people work there,” the neighbor, identified as Sue, told the BBC.
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