Blasts rock London

HEMEL HEMPSTEAD, England – Explosions ripped through a major fuel depot north of London on Sunday, injuring dozens of people, blowing doors off nearby homes and sending fireballs and massive clouds of black smoke into the sky.

Police said the blasts appeared to be accidental, though they occurred just four days after an al-Qaida videotape appeared on the Internet calling for attacks on facilities carrying oil “stolen” from Muslims in the Middle East.

The powerful explosions were felt throughout a large swath of southeast England. They also rattled nerves in a country still jittery after July’s terrorist attack on London’s subway and bus system killed 52 people and four suicide bombers.

Hertfordshire Chief Constable Frank Whiteley said there was “nothing to suggest anything other than an accident.”

Residents said shock waves destroyed indoor light bulbs and cracked walls and ceilings.

“It was like a sonic boom,” said Danny Deacon, 25, who evacuated with his wife and two young children on police orders.

Most of the 43 people injured were treated at nearby hospitals and released after suffering cuts and bruises from shattering windows in Hertfordshire county, about 25 miles north of London. But at least two men were hospitalized, including a plant worker in serious condition, said Howard Bortkett-Jones, medical director of the two local hospitals.

Noxious fumes from the fire, which left some people coughing, also affected the large number of police who sealed off the area and evacuated nearly 300 people to a bowling alley being used as a temporary shelter. About 25 policemen complained of problems such as chest tightness and shortness of breath, Bortkett-Jones said.

There were several blasts at Buncefield terminal, which stores 4 million gallons of gasoline, diesel, kerosene and aviation fuel. Officials warned more blasts could occur, because it will take days to extinguish the inferno.

Panic-buying of gasoline caused long lines at some local stations, but gas companies said shortages were unlikely because there were no other problems with the country’s refineries or with the manufacturing or distribution of petroleum products.

The Environment Agency said any leaking kerosene, oil or gasoline could damage nearby rivers or streams.

The cause of Sunday’s incident was not immediately known, said Total SA, the French oil company that operates Buncefield in a joint venture with Texaco. The British subsidiary, Total UK, said in a statement that it was in contact with police and security forces.

Buncefield is the fifth largest of some 50 major oil storage facilities in Britain. The Total/Texaco reserves there account for about 5 percent of the country’s oil supply.

Firefighters planned to use foam to stop the fire from spreading across the depot and adjacent industrial park. The 20 blazing tanks were being allowed to burn themselves out.