ABSTRACT
On 23 May 1984 a bizarre explosion occurred in the village of Abbeystead in the tranquil surroundings of the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire, and an area of outstanding natural beauty. Local residents had been concerned about the flooding that had occurred for many years during the winter in the lower valley of the river Wyre. A gas explosion was immediately suspected by the Health and Safety Commission (HSE). They sensibly enlisted the aid of British Coal to ventilate the tunnel with powerful fans used in deep mining to clear it of any gas that might be lingering. Hickson and Welch Ltd was a chemical manufacturing company of long standing and a major employer in the Yorkshire town of Castleford. The jet fire is estimated to have lasted one minute before subsiding from lack of fuel, but by then several other fires had started. These were extinguished by the local fire brigade, who attended with 22 appliances and over 100 fire-fighters.
