Huge explosion reported near Oxfordshire, UK at around 19:20 this evening that lightened up the whole Sky, according to a twitter user who was the first one to put up a video of the incident.
A spokesperson for Severn Trent Green Power said via Facebook official page:
“This evening a digester tank at our Cassington facility near Yarnton, Oxfordshire, has been struck by lightning which has caused an explosion in our biogas tanks.
Thankfully no one has been hurt and we are working with the emergency services to make sure the site is safe so that we can assess the damage as soon as possible.”
The twitter user wrote in the tweet:
“We felt a shockwave and heard a loud rumble in the distance. I started recording about 10 seconds after we heard it, when I spotted it from the balcony (we didn’t know where it came from until then)” Knocker said.
Witney, Burford, Chipping Norton, and Milton-under-Wychwood have all reportedly had power disruptions, according to local residents. At the facility, which converts food waste into biogas, there are now six fire engines and forty firefighters battling the blaze.
As of this moment, there have been no reports of any deaths or injuries. The staff have been working with emergency services to secure site. The Oxford County Council said that firefighters are using an aerial assistance put out the fire.
“To ensure public safety, nearby residents are asked to stay at home, to shut windows and doors and not to attend the scene,” a police spokesperson said in a statement to BBC.
“It is believed that lightning struck gas containers at the site during bad weather this evening, causing a large fire.” Thames Valley Police said in a statement.
Due to the incident, the police have closed the A40 between Wolvercote and Eynsham. South Central Ambulance Service confirmed the presence of paramedics at the location, however they have said that they are just there in an on-call capacity to support the local police and fire departments.
