The Environment Chronicle

On Sunday 11 December 2005, a series of explosions and subsequent fire destroyed large parts of the Buncefield oil storage and transfer depot, Hemel Hempstead, and caused widespread damage to neighbouring properties. The incident injured 43 people. There was significant damage to both commercial and residential properties near the Buncefield site. About 2000 people had to be evacuated from their homes and sections of the M1 motorway were closed. The fire burned for five days, destroying most of the site and emitting a large plume of smoke into the atmosphere that dispersed over southern England and beyond.

A serie of explosions at a chemical plant of the Jilin Petrochemical Company in Jilin City on 13 November 2005 resulted in the accidental release of benzene and benzene-like organic compounds, including nitrobenzene, into the Songhua River.