20 years ago.....
Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2025 9:04 pm
Sunday 11th December 2005 ....just after 6AM.
There I was in my room, on my Dell PC browsing the internet, warm drink next to me. Still dark outside. And BOOM.
Heard what sounded like a loud thunderclap bang followed by a kind of vibrating crackling sound.
Knocked on my brothers door and ask if he heard it and then another bang crackling sound. And another.
Looked out the window and saw an orange glow in the distance behind the trees. Not sure how close it was.
We decided to investigate, went to my car in the FREEZING COLD. Took 20 minutes to thaw out all the frost. And drove 5 miles to the nearest town then up to the industrial estate. Police everywhere, loads of roads blocked off. My (then) workplace was on that industrial estate.
We parked up a short distance away and saw fire blazing up into the sky. Turned on the car radio, lit up some smokes and waited.
Eventually the hourly news came on and broke the story that an oil depot had gone up in flames.
Was so strange and surreal to actually hear a breaking news story that you are literally looking at with your own eyes.
An hour or so later it got light and we drove about the place and my brother captured these images with his phone.
Eventful that day was. Really anxious about the state of what my workplace would be in. A lot of places were wrecked. But eventually decided to say sod it, go get a Tandori Hot Dominos Pizza and drive back home. Worry about it another day!
But man....where did those 20 years go? Wow!
There I was in my room, on my Dell PC browsing the internet, warm drink next to me. Still dark outside. And BOOM.
Heard what sounded like a loud thunderclap bang followed by a kind of vibrating crackling sound.
Knocked on my brothers door and ask if he heard it and then another bang crackling sound. And another.
Looked out the window and saw an orange glow in the distance behind the trees. Not sure how close it was.
We decided to investigate, went to my car in the FREEZING COLD. Took 20 minutes to thaw out all the frost. And drove 5 miles to the nearest town then up to the industrial estate. Police everywhere, loads of roads blocked off. My (then) workplace was on that industrial estate.
We parked up a short distance away and saw fire blazing up into the sky. Turned on the car radio, lit up some smokes and waited.
Eventually the hourly news came on and broke the story that an oil depot had gone up in flames.
Was so strange and surreal to actually hear a breaking news story that you are literally looking at with your own eyes.
An hour or so later it got light and we drove about the place and my brother captured these images with his phone.
Eventful that day was. Really anxious about the state of what my workplace would be in. A lot of places were wrecked. But eventually decided to say sod it, go get a Tandori Hot Dominos Pizza and drive back home. Worry about it another day!
But man....where did those 20 years go? Wow!