The dramatic fire at Buncefield oil refinery forced the closure of James Latham plc’s nearby head office site at Hemel Hempstead for several days while emergency services fought the blaze.
The company’s Swallow Park site, which is just half a mile from the refinery, was inaccessible for two days due to the emergency services’ cordon around the fire. No staff were on the premises when the initial explosion occurred at 6am on December 11.
Lathams staff were relocated to the company’s depots at Thurrock, Wigston and Purfleet, with all enquiries transferred to Thurrock.
As the fire raged, Lathams arranged for deliveries to be made from depots at Wigston, Thurrock and Eastleigh or directly from some of its MDF, OSB, melamine and particleboard suppliers and from its centralised warehouse at the Port of Tilbury.
The Hemel Hempstead site was reopened on December 14, after firecrews extinguished the blaze, which at one time had engulfed 20 fuel tanks.
Company director Peter Latham said: “We are grateful that, following such a major incident, there were no fatalities and also praise the emergency services for understanding the importance for surrounding businesses, where possible, to be able to operate effectively.
“As part of a large national group with stock held at all depots and with the excellent relationship we have with suppliers and haulage contractors, we are confident that our high level of service will continue and any delays will be kept to an absolute minimum.”
