Seest,
suburb of Kolding, southern Jutland town (125 miles west of the capital,
Copenhagen);
Wednesday,
3.11.2004:
With
the major fire after a series of heavy explosions in the Danish fireworks
factory "N.P. Johnsen" one firefighter was killed. The firefighter
(33) was found dead on the scene, having been knocked unconscious by a blast and
then overcome by smoke inhalation. 17 people were reported injured (including
six firemen - they suffered burns, including one who was in serious condition -,
rescue workers and police officers). The injuries reported included firefighters
suffering from asphyxiation, people injured by broken glass and other debris, or
who were knocked to the ground by the massive shockwave caused by exploding
fireworks. Overnight, about 60 people were under medical observation after
complaining about respiratory problems.
After
the detonations a large smoke cloud hung over the factory. Shortly before 6 p.m., two more powerful blasts rocked the burning factory buildings and a
nearby warehouse, shattering windows in downtown Kolding, some 3 kilometers (1.9
miles) away. One of the explosions was the equivalent of a magnitude-2
earthquake, according to the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland.
The
factory and many nearby buildings were severely damaged by the fire and
exploding fireworks. Some 20 houses were feared to have burned. Some 350
buildings, including private homes and small businesses, were damaged, many of
them now uninhabitable due to fire damage, smoke damage and shock waves from
series of explosions.
By
9 p.m., the fire was still out of control and burning in several
factory buildings. Because of fears of more explosions and igniting fireworks,
some 700 homes, or approximately 2,000 people, within a kilometre (more than a
half-mile) of the fireworks factory were - to set up a security perimeter –
evacuated to nearby schools and elder care centers. It might take days before
people can return
The
blaze was thought to have started Wednesday when two containers of fireworks
were being loaded onto a truck, police said. It quickly spread to a nearby
building and led to a chain reaction of explosions. What caused the containers
to combust remains unknown.
The
government said it would review legislation concerning the production and
storage of fireworks and other explosives in populated areas.
"It
looks like a moon landscape, this looks worse than the many war zones I have
seen," Defence Minister Soeren Gade said during a visit. The blackened
landscape was littered with debris, gutted cars and damaged houses.
Source:
"Blaze at fireworks factory in Denmark leaves firefighter dead, six injured", 3.11.2004, http://fe.pennnet.com/News/Display_News_Story.cfm?Section=WireNews&SubSection=HOME&NewsID=109694
"Fireworks factory explosion kills one", 4.11.2004, http://www.dr.dk/nyheder/fremmedsprog/English/article.jhtml?articleID=211013
"1 killed
in Danish fireworks factory blast", 4.11.2004, http://en-1.ce.cn/World/Europe/200411/04/t20041104_2187070.shtml
"Blaze at fireworks factory in Denmark leaves firefighter dead, six injured"2, 4.11.2004, http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?sectionId=46&id=36307
"Kolding plant possibly overstocked", 4.11.2004, http://www.cphpost.dk/get/83351.html
"Caught on tape: Fireworks Inferno", 5.11.2004, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/07/17/national/main563855.shtml
"Danes stunned by fireworks blaze", 5.11.2004, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3985835.stm
"One dead in fireworks factory blast", 5.11.2004, http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_world_story_skin/457199%3fformat=html
"Apocalypse pow!", Nov. 2004, http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2004512948,00.html
Ř
Memories
of Enschede become awake:
-
The factory is surrounded by residential neighborhoods.
-
The factory had a permit to store 300 tons of fireworks.
Indoors, plus 900 tons outside, but police in Kolding believe up to 2,000 tons
of fireworks may have been warehoused at the time of the blast.
Pictures:
Kolding Kommune:
Brand I fyrvaerkerilager: Fotos fra den 3. november 2004
http://www.kolding.dk/data/0030838.asp?sid=20505&uid=20936
You
can watch a video by CBSNews.com, 5.11.2004, under http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/07/17/national/main563855.shtml
(Fireworks Factory Fire Rages: Hundreds of Danish firefighters continued to
battle a blaze at a fireworks factory that killed one of their colleagues,
injured six people and destroyed 25 homes.)
You
find pictures under the link "Fotos: Fyrvaerkeribrand i Kolding" in
the article "Over 2.000 evakueret i eksplosion" of 4.11.2004 under http://nyhederne.tv2.dk/article.php?id=1529496&forside
You
find pictures under the link "Fotos: Katastrofe i Kolding" in the
article "Kolding – katastrofe skal under lup" of 4.11.2004 under http://nyhederne.tv2.dk/article.php?id=1531073.
You can watch aerial photos in the same article under the link "Luftfotos
fra Kolding".
You find pictures in the article "Sadan oplevede jeg katastrofen…" of 4.11.2004, http://www.jv.dk/indland/artikel:aid=349472/ under the link "Billedserie; Billeder fra katastrofen".
You find pictures in the article "Fyrvaerkerifabrik havde for meget oplagret", 4.11.2004, http://www.jp.dk/login?url=indland/artikel:aid=2704188 under the link "Billedserie – Fyrvaerkeri-katastrofen i Kolding: se billederne".
You
find an eye-witness report under http://www.glofton.com/archives/2004/11/03/fireworks/.
You can watch photos of the fireworks inferno under the link "Photos &
movies here" on the same page (or directly under http://www.glofton.com/archives/2004/11/03/fireworks_photos/).
Here
you can see various pictures from the tragedy: http://temp.moxom.dk/kolding/
Further
articles:
"Danish Fireworks Factory Blaze Contained"
In
wake of a May 2000 explosion of a firework storage depot in the Dutch town of
Enschede that killed 22 people, several neighbours of the plant in Kolding
demanded that it be shut down.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,137621,00.html
"Commission to probe fireworks safety"
Business
Minister Bendt Bendtsen has assembled an investigative subcommittee to probe
Wednesday's horrific explosion at a fireworks factory in Kolding. In addition to
investigating the causes of the Kolding blast, the committee will review safety
conditions at every fireworks manufacturer in Denmark.
"I
have agreed with the Ministers of Justice and Defense on the need for a review
of all factories that manufacture and store fireworks in Denmark. Regulations
were sharpened at the EU level after an accident in the Netherlands four years
ago, but apparently we need to take another look at conditions – a disaster
like this cannot be tolerated a second time," said Bendtsen, adding that
the first order of business for the committee would be to determine whether the
N.P. Johnsen Fireworks Factory was overstocked with combustible fireworks at the
time of the fire.
http://www.cphpost.dk/get/83370.html
"Hundreds battle fireworks factory blaze"
The
initial outbreak occurred at a fireworks container and spread quickly throughout
stores in the NP Johnsens Fyrvaerkerifabrik company, which serves as storage
space for fireworks products imported from China.
The
blaze destroyed or damaged 11 nearby local enterprises and 350 houses.
Local
rail traffic has been disrupted for several hours because the line skirted the
burning depot.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200411/s1235225.htm
"Fireworks makers wary of safety plan"
Fireworks
manufacturers fear that the governement's new ten-point safety match will spark
nothing but chaos – and bankrupt many companies. The government's safety plan
is primarily aimed at getting fireworks warehouses away from residential areas,
and cracking down on illegal fireworks trafficking through police inspections
and tougher penalties. Regulations for the placement of fireworks containers
outside retail shops will be sharpened, and the maximum amount of fireworks per
container will be lowered to 1'000 kg apiece.
http://www.cphpost.dk/get/83627.html
"Kolding disaster to set insurance precedent"
Payout
precedent: the response of national insurance companies to this month's
fireworks disaster in Kolding will oblige companies to give special treatment to
disaster victims in the future.
http://www.cphpost.dk/get/83767.html
"Royals
to visit Kolding disaster victims"
The
village of Seest, near Kolding, still resembles nothing so much as a bomb crater.
Houses, factories and warehouses stand charred, vacant and uninhabitable –
bitter relicts of a fireworks explosion that devastated the tiny provincial
community three weeks ago. Many citizens and first responders have grappled with
deep psychological trauma. Today Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary
pay their first visit to Seest. The royal couple will tour the fire zone before
meeting with area residents later in the day.
http://www.cphpost.dk/get/83870.html
"Carnegie
Fund honours Seest rescuers"
On
Wednesday, the Carnegie Hero Fund awarded 32 cheques of DKK 10'000 to Danes who
carried out heroic acts. Three of the recipients were rescuers in Kolding (two
volunteer firefighter and one Falck paramedic), the first responders to this
autumn's fireworks disaster in Seest.
http://www.cphpost.dk/get/84242.html
Further
links:
Kolding
Kommune: Fyrvaerkeribranden i Seest, Sympatitilkendegivelser fra udlandet: http://www.kolding.dk/brand/0030932.asp?sid=32141&uid=30816
"Fireworks Accident, Kolding, 2004", Operational Incident Response Report, Danish Emergency Management Agency, December 2006, http://www.brs.dk/uk/The%20Kolding%20fireworks%20accident%202004%20-%20Operational%20response%20incident%20report.pdf