Editor's Note: The following article is rewritten from a report into this incident published in “FIRE” magazine dated November 1970. The 17th July 1969 saw a tragic and sudden explosion take the lives of 5 of London’s firemen; here is the story of what happened.
Dudgeons Wharf on the Isle of Dogs consisted of a “tank farm” of more than 100 tanks of various capacities up to 200,000 gallons and used for storing oils and spirits on a plot which measured 350 ft. x 300 ft. The demolition contractors had received advice on safety before starting the demolition of these tanks to enable regeneration of the site.
Tank 97 on this site was of a welded construction measuring 27 ft in diameter and 35 ft high. It held 125,000 gallons. Two manhole covers, one on the roof and one at ground level, were held shut with steel plates secured by nuts and bolts. This tank had been empty for two years but had previously held Myrcene (a member of the turpentine family). This chemical would leave a thick, gummy deposit on the inside of the tank. This deposit could be easily ignited or when heated would give off a flammable vapour which, if mixed with air, is potentially explosive.
At 11.21 am on Friday 17th July a call was made to a fire on the North bank of the River Thames at Millwall, covered by London’s “F Division”. Less than 2 weeks before this incident a fire had occurred on the same site where 40 firemen and 8 pumps using 6 jets and 2 foam making branches had tackled a fire involving waste oil in a derelict oil tank. The brigade had also attended numerous other small fires on the site, caused by sparks from hot cutting gear used by workmen cutting the tanks.
On receipt of the call 2 appliances consisting of a pump escape and pump were ordered from Millwall Fire Station and one pump from Brunswick Road. The foam tender from East Ham was also ordered followed later by the fireboat “Massey Shaw” from Greenwich. The fire brigade arrived very quickly with Station Officer Innard in command. He enquired about the fire situation but was given misleading information. He not unreasonably thought that the fire was probably out but decided to make sure by putting a spray branch into the top of the manhole which had been removed from the top of Tank 97.
Sub Officer Gamble with Firemen Appleby, Breen, Carvosso and Smee joined him on top of the tank alongside Mr Adams, one of the workmen. It is thought that using the spray branch caused air to be drawn in and mixed with the flammable vapours given off by the burning or hot Myrcene deposits greatly increasing the risk of an explosion.
Station Officer Innard along with Station Officer Snelling decided to look into the tank from the bottom manhole to see if any fire remained and, if so, direct the positioning of the spray branch. This involved opening the bottom manhole cover. Station Officer Snelling sent a fireman to fetch a spanner to remove the bottom manhole cover. The members of the brigade could not undo the nuts so an unidentified person suggested the nuts should be burned off.
Station Officer Innard descended from the top of the tank to see what was going on. An employee working on the demolition of the tank farm applied a cutting torch to one of the nuts. As soon as the cutting flame was applied to the first nut, the vapours inside the tank ignited almost instantaneously blowing off the roof of the tank together with the 5 firemen and workman. This was probably due to flames or sparks from the cutting torch entering the tank and igniting the explosive mixture within.
D.O. Abbitt had been in the area and, upon hearing of the incident at the riverside wharf, he attended. He arrived at 11.50, just before the explosion occurred at 11.52. Three further pumps from Bethnal Green and Bow were order on at 11.54 following this explosion. Their job was to recover the bodies of the firemen killed.
Those firemen were: Temporary Sub Officer Michael Gamble of F23 Millwall, aged 28, married, 10 years in the brigade. Fireman John Victor Appleby of F22 Brunswick Road, aged 23, married, 3 children, almost 5 years service. Fireman Terrance Breen of F22 Brunswick Road, aged 37, married with 3 children, 12 years service. Fireman Paul Carvosso of C25 Cannon Street, aged 23, married, 1 child, 4 years service. Fireman Alfred Charles Smee of F23 Millwall, aged 47, 1 son, 24 years service.
Dudgeons Wharf on the Isle of Dogs consisted of a “tank farm” of more than 100 tanks of various capacities up to 200,000 gallons and used for storing oils and spirits on a plot which measured 350 ft. x 300 ft. The demolition contractors had received advice on safety before starting the demolition of these tanks to enable regeneration of the site.
Tank 97 on this site was of a welded construction measuring 27 ft in diameter and 35 ft high. It held 125,000 gallons. Two manhole covers, one on the roof and one at ground level, were held shut with steel plates secured by nuts and bolts. This tank had been empty for two years but had previously held Myrcene (a member of the turpentine family). This chemical would leave a thick, gummy deposit on the inside of the tank. This deposit could be easily ignited or when heated would give off a flammable vapour which, if mixed with air, is potentially explosive.
At 11.21 am on Friday 17th July a call was made to a fire on the North bank of the River Thames at Millwall, covered by London’s “F Division”. Less than 2 weeks before this incident a fire had occurred on the same site where 40 firemen and 8 pumps using 6 jets and 2 foam making branches had tackled a fire involving waste oil in a derelict oil tank. The brigade had also attended numerous other small fires on the site, caused by sparks from hot cutting gear used by workmen cutting the tanks.
On receipt of the call 2 appliances consisting of a pump escape and pump were ordered from Millwall Fire Station and one pump from Brunswick Road. The foam tender from East Ham was also ordered followed later by the fireboat “Massey Shaw” from Greenwich. The fire brigade arrived very quickly with Station Officer Innard in command. He enquired about the fire situation but was given misleading information. He not unreasonably thought that the fire was probably out but decided to make sure by putting a spray branch into the top of the manhole which had been removed from the top of Tank 97.
Sub Officer Gamble with Firemen Appleby, Breen, Carvosso and Smee joined him on top of the tank alongside Mr Adams, one of the workmen. It is thought that using the spray branch caused air to be drawn in and mixed with the flammable vapours given off by the burning or hot Myrcene deposits greatly increasing the risk of an explosion.
Station Officer Innard along with Station Officer Snelling decided to look into the tank from the bottom manhole to see if any fire remained and, if so, direct the positioning of the spray branch. This involved opening the bottom manhole cover. Station Officer Snelling sent a fireman to fetch a spanner to remove the bottom manhole cover. The members of the brigade could not undo the nuts so an unidentified person suggested the nuts should be burned off.
Station Officer Innard descended from the top of the tank to see what was going on. An employee working on the demolition of the tank farm applied a cutting torch to one of the nuts. As soon as the cutting flame was applied to the first nut, the vapours inside the tank ignited almost instantaneously blowing off the roof of the tank together with the 5 firemen and workman. This was probably due to flames or sparks from the cutting torch entering the tank and igniting the explosive mixture within.
D.O. Abbitt had been in the area and, upon hearing of the incident at the riverside wharf, he attended. He arrived at 11.50, just before the explosion occurred at 11.52. Three further pumps from Bethnal Green and Bow were order on at 11.54 following this explosion. Their job was to recover the bodies of the firemen killed.
Those firemen were: Temporary Sub Officer Michael Gamble of F23 Millwall, aged 28, married, 10 years in the brigade. Fireman John Victor Appleby of F22 Brunswick Road, aged 23, married, 3 children, almost 5 years service. Fireman Terrance Breen of F22 Brunswick Road, aged 37, married with 3 children, 12 years service. Fireman Paul Carvosso of C25 Cannon Street, aged 23, married, 1 child, 4 years service. Fireman Alfred Charles Smee of F23 Millwall, aged 47, 1 son, 24 years service.
