On 21 June 1988, a large fire and explosion engulfed the BDH chemical plant in

Poole Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. 3,500 people were evacuated out of the town centre in the biggest peacetime evacuation in the UK since

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Despite the intensity of the explosion, nobody was killed or seriously injured.

Background

British Drug Houses The Merck Group, branded and commonly known as Merck, is a German Multinational corporation, multinational science and technology company headquartered in Darmstadt, with about 60,000 employees and a presence in 66 countries. The group include ...

had operated in Poole for 40 years. The plant at West Quay Road was constructed in 1982.

Events

At about 7:30pm emergency services were called to a fire at an industrial unit on West Quay Road in Poole. The warehouse was operated by BDH and stood adjacent to the

Port of Poole The Port of Poole is a English Channel, cross channel port on Poole Harbour in Poole, Dorset, South West England. Along with Weymouth Harbour, Dorset, Weymouth Harbour, Poole has the other major Channel Ports, Channel Port in Dorset. History I ...

, and close to residential and commercial areas in Old Poole. The fire was discovered in an oxidising storeroom, and it had spread to the adjacent area containing flammable liquids. There were flames up to high and flaming drums full of liquids were sent into the air and rained down on neighbouring streets. Missiles from the fire spread , and there was off site damage to away. A fireball was witnessed and a plume of yellow-brown smoke was seen rising over

Poole Old Town Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...

. An evacuation began at 7:45pm, affecting a radius in Poole Town Centre. Nearby tower blocks were emptied, and terraced streets were searched. People were sent to the Arts Centre, Sports Centre and the Arndale Centre (now

Dolphin Shopping Centre The Dolphin Shopping Centre is a shopping centre in Poole, Dorset, England, formerly known as the Arndale Centre. The shopping centre adjoins Poole Bus Station. History and development In 1957 discussions began about creating a covered in shop ...

). The evacuation was organised by Station Manager Gordon Hughes. In November 1988, he became only the second recipient of the Chief Officer's Commendation. 100 firefighters attended the scene. Fourteen people were taken to Poole General Hospital. Local residents were not allowed to return to their homes until 5:30am the next day. The

Health and Safety Executive The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is a British public body responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare. It has additionally adopted a research role into occupational risks in Great B ...

, on the scene that morning, said the devastation would make an investigation of the cause virtually impossible. Street furniture and traffic lights had melted and windows were smashed. The smoke was analysed to have contained

hydrogen chloride The Chemical compound, compound hydrogen chloride has the chemical formula and as such is a hydrogen halide. At room temperature, it is a colorless gas, which forms white fumes of hydrochloric acid upon contact with atmospheric water vapor. Hyd ...

. Pollution of watercourses, including

Poole Harbour Poole Harbour is a large natural harbour in Dorset, southern England, with the town of Poole on its shores. The harbour is a drowned valley ( ria) formed at the end of the last ice age and is the estuary of several rivers, the largest being th ...

, was also of concern. Authorities said that luck had kept the injuries minor, as barrels containing

cyanide In chemistry, cyanide () is an inorganic chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Ionic cyanides contain the cyanide anion . This a ...

did not explode and the wind blew the toxic smoke offshore.

Investigation

Member of Parliament for

John Ward asked the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Employment Patrick Nicholls to set up a public inquiry into the incident. The minister confirmed that the Health and Safety Executive would carry out a full investigation into the cause of the fire. The results of the investigation were published and publicised at a press conference held on 17 October 1988. The minister also confirmed that the BDH facilities at West Quay Road had been inspected 15 times between 1979 and 1988.

Legacy

In 1997, BDH closed the West Quay Road plant and half of their local workforce were made redundant. The factory was pulled down and the land is now occupied by

Poole Lifeboat Station Poole Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue operations at Poole, Dorset in England. The first Lifeboat (rescue), lifeboat was stationed at Poole Harbour in 1865 and the present station was ...

, other buildings making up the

Royal National Lifeboat Institution The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest of the lifeboat (rescue), lifeboat services operating around the coasts of the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on s ...

headquarters, and the Lifeboat College which opened in 2004.

References

{{reflist 1988 in England 1980s in Dorset History of Poole Poole explosion Chemical plant explosions Poole explosion Fires in England Industrial fires and explosions in the United Kingdom Poole explosion, 1988 Poole explosion Disasters in Dorset Poole explosion Explosions in England Poole explosion