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Blast fears halt traffic
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| TRAFFIC CHAOS: Surrounding roads block up after Old Wareham Road is closed by a fire |
DRIVERS faced rush-hour misery on Wednesday when a busy Poole road was closed after a fire on an industrial estate prompted fears of an explosion.
Workers were evacuated from the Bourne Steel warehouse, St Clements House, on Newtown Business Estate, after a "flashback" fire involving a cylinder of highly flammable acetylene gas.
Firefighters from Poole and Redhill fire station attended, at 3pm, and everyone was cleared from the area amid fears of a larger blast.
Nobody was injured in the incident. Gas and electricity supplies were shut off.
Police closed neighbouring Old Wareham Road between Dorset Way and Ringwood Road and non-essential traffic into the industrial area was stopped.
The area was cordoned off while firefighters monitored the overheated cylinder in the steel fabrication plant. They used a remote hose to cool it, allowing firefighters to withdraw. The cooling continued for several hours.
The drama left commuters facing rush-hour misery, as long tailbacks built up in surrounding roads.
An employee at Breeze Volkswagen, Tower Park, said customers had reported "gridlock" following the closures.
Staff at the neighbouring Ford showroom also reported custom was affected by the incident, with people struggling to get in and out of the site, including delivery drivers.
Long queues formed in both directions on Ringwood Road as drivers queued to reach the Old Wareham Road roundabout.
Last year, in a similar emergency on Old Wareham Road, firefighters fought to prevent gas cylinders exploding in two burning garages.
On this occasion drivers found themselves in hour-long queues as firefighters dampened down the area.
5:39am Thursday 3rd July 2008
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CommentPosted by: gb, Bournemouth on 8:33pm Thu 3 Jul 08
[bold]Blast fear halt traffic[/bold]
Get your facts right. I work on the Newtown Business Estate. The area was not cleared -no danger said the police unless the fire spread to Riveta. I did not even observe a mass evacuation from that factory. Stop this sensationalist headlining and reporting. I know you are a perocial rag but have some standards of accurate reporting.
I recall two front page stories of "dog bights cat and it could have been a baby" Nature = dogs chase cats - cats chase birds and mice. Is there not enough news in Bournemouth for a daily newspaper
Blast fear halt traffic
Get your facts right. I work on the Newtown Business Estate. The area was not cleared -no danger said the police unless the fire spread to Riveta. I did not even observe a mass evacuation from that factory. Stop this sensationalist headlining and reporting. I know you are a perocial rag but have some standards of accurate reporting.
I recall two front page stories of "dog bights cat and it could have been a baby" Nature = dogs chase cats - cats chase birds and mice. Is there not enough news in Bournemouth for a daily newspaper
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