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

Poole Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. 3,500 people were evacuated out of the

town centre A town centre is the commerce, commercial or geographical centre or core area of a town. Town centres are traditionally associated with shopping or retail. They are also the centre of communications with major public transport hubs such as train ...

in the biggest peacetime evacuation the country had seen since

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. 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 science and technology company headquartered in Darmstadt, with about 60,000 employees and present in 66 countries. The group includes around 250 companies; the m ...

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

Events

At about 7:30 pm 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 cross channel port on Poole Harbour in Poole, Dorset, South West England. Along with Weymouth Harbour, Poole has the other major Channel Port in Dorset. History In World War II, the port was used in the Normandy landi ...

, 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 100 ft high and flaming drums full of liquids were sent into the air and rained down on neighbouring streets. Missiles from the fire spread 50m, and there was off site damage to 100m away. A fireball was witnessed and a plume of yellow-brown smoke was seen rising over Poole Old Town. An evacuation began at 7.45pm, affecting a one square mile radius in

Poole Town Centre Poole Town Centre is an area of Poole, Dorset. It is just to the west of Poole Park. Poole Old Town is home to many historic buildings like the 15th-century Scaplen's Court, the 18th-century Custom House and the Victorian St James' Church. Hi ...

. 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 shopp ...

). The evacuation was organised by Station Manager Gordon Hughes. In November 1988, he became only the 2nd recipient of the Chief Officer's Commendation. 14 people were taken to

Poole General Hospital Poole Hospital (also known as Poole General Hospital) is an Acute medicine, acute Hospital#General, general hospital in Poole, Dorset, England. Built in 1907, it has expanded from a basic 14-bed facility into a 789-bed hospital. It is the trauma ...

. Local residents were not allowed to return to their homes until 5.30 am the next day. The

Health and Safety Executive The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is a UK government agency responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare, and for research into occupational risks in Great Britain. It is a non-depar ...

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

. 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 Cyanide is a naturally occurring, rapidly acting, toxic chemical that can exist in many different forms. In chemistry, a cyanide () is a chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of ...

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

Investigation

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

John Ward asked the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Employment

Patrick Nicholls Patrick Charles Martyn Nicholls (born 14 December 1948) is a British solicitor and politician who served as a Conservative MP for Teignbridge between 1983 and 2001. A solicitor by profession and formerly an East Devon District Councillor, Nich ...

to set up a public inquiry into the incident. The minister confirmed that the

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 was stationed at Poole Harbour in 1865 and the present station was opened in 1988. Sin ...

, other buildings making up the

Royal National Lifeboat Institution The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It i ...

headquarters, and the Lifeboat College which opened in 2004.

References

{{reflist History of Poole June 1988 events in the United Kingdom Chemical plant explosions Explosions in 1988 Fires in England Industrial fires and explosions in the United Kingdom 1988 fires in the United Kingdom Disasters in Dorset 1988 disasters in the United Kingdom Explosions in England