Fuel Depot Blast

[Joe[y]]

I had a pretty damn rude awakening this morning:

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41109000/jpg/_41109474_hugesmokeafp.jpg

a fuel depot very near my home has exploded - rumours our still abound from the cause but obviously the more paranoid of my neighbours whisper 'terrorists'

it seriously is a scene you'd expect from 'war of the worlds' out here. unfortunately - in my hungover state i dismissed the explosions (that actually shook my house) this morning as something i couldn't do anything about and went back to sleep till the sun came up and i actually got to see the scene in the photo above you. most people around here are pretty stranded so i can't really get closer to the scene for photos.

read the whole story here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4517962.stm

[Connie]

I heard this in the news today morning already, not so good situation and big pollution now...

I once heard the explosion of a ship, which was loaded with gas bottles + benzine (crazy greeks) at Crete, more than 140 kms...

let's hope they can get control of that fire soon before more smog and pollution will be in the air

for me again this is a sign that man cannot dominate everything he produces, and that is why I am so against nuclear stations... who says they are safe?
Nothing is safe because mankind is the real security problem ;=(

[Joe[y]]

the firefighters here have basically decided the only thing they can really do is let the fire burn out and stop it spreading to the nearby kerosene (plane fuel) tanks (which would be very bad for us!) so i'm afraid the environment here is gonna take a bit of a baterring for the next few days.

luckily the wind has changed direction here - as it was originally sending all the toxic fumes towards my house!

[blinking8s]

that's insane, and a very cool picture...where are your picks of it?!?!

[Joe[y]]

that's insane, and a very cool picture...where are your picks of it?!?!

one on my blog so far: http://photos.jlspurling.com/photo/54

i have a few other waiting their turn - but to be honest i'm waiting for this evening in anticipation of a sunset with the smoke - gonna hop on my bike and get up the top of a hill if i can be arsed to find some socks :p

[blinking8s]

you better man...i wanna see some sick lighting on that smoke! or i'll fly there, whoop your ass, then to take my own spot-news photos...could have been you selling that image ont he AP newswire! but you slept through it! *sigh*

[Joe[y]]

in my defence the photo above was taken from only a few hundred metres wheras i haven't been able to get any closer than 3 miles from the blaze.

[raminia]

sad to see that! I was out all day and I didn't know much about it untill I saw your post.

[Spudooli]

Joe, you are right in the thick of the action and you're too hung over to go get us some cool shots? Damn I'd hate to be in that position!

[mikelangelo]

Wow. Glad you're ok, Joe. Be careful if/when you get closer. Looking forward to seeing some good pics... of... uhm... the devestation...?! (that doesn't sound good...does it?)

[Joe[y]]

i've taken some shots but there was no way to get closer by car, so i took to foot for a couple of hours - i think the shots that i came back with were more 'artsy' than reportage though and i was disappointed about how damn far away i actually was in the end - my trainers couldn't hack the distance :p

check my blog for what i got so far.

[tinyblob]

if i was there, and a landscape photographer, i would've been reaching for the filters and shooting all day.
nice :)

[Joe[y]]

if i was there, and a landscape photographer, i would've been reaching for the filters and shooting all day.
nice :)

yeah my lack of filters since my new lens (different lens size) sucks - but PS can make up for it. though, i didn't really need filters or PS for the effects I got.