In what was described as the largest incident of its kind in peace time Europe, just after 6.00 am on 11 December, an explosion ripped through the Buncefield Oil Depot in Hemel Hempstead.  | | One of the oil tanks after the fire. |
Over 20 petrol tanks were involved in the ensuing fire, each said to hold three million gallons of fuel. Miraculously no was fatally injured in the incident, however, the true extent of the damage caused to the depot and the residents of Hemel who lived in the surrounding areas is still causing problems. One family who lived less than a mile from the epicentre of the blast are still having to live at the Holiday Inn in Hemel Hempstead, while efforts to rebuild their home continue. Heidi Brazier, her husband and her seven children aged from one to sixteen years old, have been forced out of their house three times since the Buncefield explosion. Pandemonium Firstly on the day of the blast, followed by 10 days in January, before extensive work forced the family to have to be based at the hotel permanently since the end of January.  | | Workman have become a familiar site. |
Heidi described the day of the blast as 'pandemonium': "We all jumped out of bed, it would have been comical if it hadn't been so serious, we were all running around screaming" she explained. "I ran downstairs and opened the front door and discovered all the neighbours screaming in the street as well, it was really scary as nobody knew what was going on." Major damage The house suffered major damage as a result of the blast and is still being rebuilt.  | | Front doors were left damaged. |
"All the windows were damaged, we could use the front door, but the roof and the chimney were damaged and the gable end of the house had to be rebuilt" explained Heidi. "The internal ceilings needed rebuilding and every room in the house bar one had to be redecorated due to damage. We've had resin injected into cracks I could put my fist into, so quite a lot really" she added. With the list of extensive repairs running into thousands of pounds Heidi knows to whom she is most thankful. "Luckily we have an absolutely fabulous insurance company and the builders and decorators that are doing our property are really on the ball" she said. But the sense of disbelief that nobody was injured that day is still present.  | | There was widespread damage to windows. |
"Somebody that day was watching out for everybody because at that time in the morning when the shift changes there should have been casualties, but there wasn't anything serious and thank goodness for that." Stir crazy While living in a hotel as your home is being rebuilt sounds very desirable, it also brings with it a certain amount of impracticalities. "The hotel here are fabulous" revealed Heidi. "The staff are so good but nothing beats being at home with your creature comforts and having your own things around you. The children are starting to go really stir crazy now, they want to go home. "One of the rooms that wasn't damaged was my utility room and because my house is so close to the hotel, at the weekends I go back every two hours and swap over my washing machine and tumble dryer. | "The children are starting to go really stir crazy now, they want to go home." | | Heidi Brazier, mother of seven, on how the kids are taking it all. |
"My friend does the ironing on my husband's shirts for him to go into work, but the internet for homework has been a nightmare. I have a daughter taking GCSEs and it is very tough for her" she added. However, despite having the delights of new house to look forward to returning to, there will always be an issue of safety hanging over the Brazier family. "We all felt it afterwards, every night you find yourself waking up two, three, four times a night thinking was that something? And then going back to sleep again" said Heidi. "Everybody is still on edge but yes I will still go home and we will stay there - it is our home." Compensation Heidi will start her battle for compensation in the High Court on Friday 17 March along with another 140 residents affected by the explosion.  | | The Royal Courts of Justice |
"We want the companies (involved at Buncefield) to stand up and take notice that the residents are still suffering, we're the ones living through it" she explained. "On the financial side, compensation would be lovely because, for example, my husband has had 32 days off work with this. Who is going to pay for that? "There has been a lot of financial implications with this for the residents but they can't ignore us which is what they have been doing up until this point" she continued. The solicitor representing the families, Des Collins, feels that the only way to get the issue of compensation highlighted is to go to the High Court. "The only way we can get these underway is to make an application for a class action to be put in place and that application will be heard by the high court on Friday" said Mr Collins. Class action But what exactly is a class action? "It's a piece of machinery which allows a number of people to get together and have one judgment on one day by one judge to decide the common issues between them" explained Mr Collins.  | | Access to the site is still resticted |
The people being represented in this class action have one particular goal in common. "The first common denominator has got to be either an admission of liability by the defence or otherwise an agreement by the defence to pay all valid claims not withstanding that liability may be an extent issue. "At the moment, the approach from the industry is effectively that they are not sure what happened themselves. The site is sealed by the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) so the people affected by this should sit back and wait for another six or nine months." "But in cases like Heidi's that just simply isn't acceptable." Obdurate In the immediate aftermath of the explosion, residents were reassured to some extent that their needs and requirements would be dealt with accordingly, however Mr Collins does not feel this has happened. "What you are seeing after Buncefield is the (oil) industry effectively closing in on itself, building a brick wall, building a barrier and saying no you are not going to get behind that barrier to us and being very obdurate about even considering the claims. "That is why we feel that really the injured and those affected have got no alternative but to go to the High Court" he added.  | | The damage caused was wide spread. |
However, as with most court proceedings, the issue will still take some time before being fully resolved. "Even if we kick it off successfully on Friday this is probably going to take about 18 months, that is going to put us nearly two years after the accident before anyone is talking to anyone. "Or putting their hand in their pocket and saying 'you really do need some compensation as a result of what happened to you' - two years is far too long" he said. Mediation Despite the prospect of such a long period before resolution for the residents, Mr Collins is still hopeful that something may be achieved earlier. "One of the issues we will raise on Friday is the possibility of mediation, that really is forcing the defence (oil industry) outside of the Court matrix to sit down and mediate with us. "They can't be 100 per cent forced to do that but if the court gives a direction then it is likely that they will feel like they have to follow it." While the end is in sight for Heidi and her family and they hope to move back into the family home next week, their pursuit for compensation, along with the other families who have been affected, looks set to continue for some time to come. | 
