Measurement & Instrumentation News & Events

Major Blast Incident at Didcot Power Station

Phil Black - PII Editor 24/02/2016

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A major incident has been declared and one person has reportedly been killed after a building collapsed at Didcot Power Station.

It follows reports of a loud explosion at the site in south Oxfordshire around 4pm.

Rodney Rose, deputy leader of Oxfordshire County Council, told the Oxford Mail: “I have been told there has been one fatality, but the rest is currently unknown.

“At the moment this is being treated as a collapsed building, not an explosion, but there was a bang,” he added.

Witnesses Describe Didcot Blast Zone

A Hazardous Area Response Team, six ambulances and two air ambulances have been sent to the scene, South Central Ambulance Service said.

“We are describing it as a major incident,” an ambulance spokesman said, adding that “there might be casualties”.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said “casualties” were being taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford

The hospital asked the public to stay away unless suffering “serious or life-threatening emergencies”.

A spokesman said: “Casualties are being directed to the emergency department of the John Radcliffe Hospital which has been made ready to receive them.

“We are not able to release any information on numbers of casualties at this time.”

It is unclear whether the collapse was part of planned demolition work at the site.

Didcot A, a disused oil and gas plant, is currently being demolished, but a natural gas plant, Didcot B, is still functioning on the site.

Mobile phone footage shows a large amount of smoke rising from the station.

Pictures also show part of Didcot A has collapsed, with large chunks of debris scattered on the ground.

David Cooke, who works in a building next to Didcot station, said: “Our building shook and as we looked out of the window, the end of the main turbine hall collapsed in a huge pile of dust.

“It totally obscured the towers and must have drifted across the roads and main rail line. What”s left looks a tangled mess.”

Thames Valley Police tweeted: “Officers are at Didcot Power Station at an incident with other emergency services. Further details will be released in due course. #Didcot.”

Didcot A ceased operation in March 2013 after more than 40 years or generating power for area.

It was originally a coal-fired station, but was later converted so it could also generate power from natural gas.

A huge fire ripped through Didcot B in October 2014 . No one was injured, but the blaze put half of the gas-fuelled plant – which supplies a million homes – out of action.