So far, firefighters have extinguished 12 of the 20 tanks that were initially alight at the Buncefield fuel distribution terminal, north of London, according to latest reports.
The depot, which stores 4.2 million gallons of oil, petrol and kerosene, is part owned by Texaco. It is operated by Total and is also used by BP, Shell and British Pipeline. Seven of the tanks remain intact.
The blaze was started by an explosion at 6am (GMT) on Sunday. Fire crews are using 32,000 litres of water per minute from a nearby lake and canal system to fight it.
The runoff is unlikely to pollute rivers and groundwater, the UK’s Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) told New Scientist.
But a spokesman said unburnt fuel leaking into the water systems could still pose a problem and the Environmental Agency would use aquifer-zoning maps to locate ground boreholes and fissures, to monitor any leakages into groundwater.
The CEH also said the refined fuels stored at the terminal had been designed for burning, which contained non-toxic hydrocarbons. In addition, the cold weather and ferocity of the blaze could also minimise health risks to the local population.
An accidental spill or leak is believed to be the reason behind the explosion, but authorities will investigate other possible causes, including terrorism.
The smoke cloud has drifted over northwestern France and was headed towards Spain, France’s national weather service said yesterday.
The blasts are not expected to lead to a supply shortage.
