Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
On the morning of 11 December 2005, this 999 call was made.
An explosion had taken place at the Buncefield Oil Storage Terminal in Hemel Hempstead that was heard as far away as Holland.
Miraculously nobody was killed in the explosion or the three-day blaze which followed.
Hertfordshire’s response helped form today’s national template for tackling major incidents. The lessons learnt from the incident also led to improvements in how fire services work together and plan for similar events in future.
On the morning of 11 December 2005, this 999 call was made.
An explosion had taken place at the Buncefield Oil Storage Terminal in Hemel Hempstead that was heard as far away as Holland.
Miraculously nobody was killed in the explosion or the three-day blaze which followed.
Hertfordshire’s response helped form today’s national template for tackling major incidents. The lessons learnt from the incident also led to improvements in how fire services work together and plan for similar events in future.
