The Isle of Wight’s county town was shaken by a massive explosion when the local gas works blew up at 04:15 on the morning of 13th October 1953.
Around 200 cubic feet of gas in a holder caught fire, leading to flames shooting 100ft into the early morning sky. The conflagration led to the complete collapse of the holder, starting from its roof.
Shocked residents of nearby streets ran into the road in their nightclothes on hearing the destruction of the works. A local resident – Captain H A Drudge from 20 Fairlee Road – stated the noise of the blast was so loud he had thought an aircraft had crashed.
A further Isle of Wight resident – who lived as far away as Newchurch and was awake at the time the gasholder went up in flames – believed she had just witnessed an Aurora Borealis (the northern lights). Further witnesses claimed the scene was something akin to a volcanic eruption and an atomic bomb.
Miraculously, no one was killed or injured by the devastating explosion. The night staff of the gasworks – 2 stokers and a boilerman – were unharmed. A few panes of glass were shattered in nearby properties and debris fell in gardens, but there was no serious damage to housing.
Firemen arrived just 3 minutes after the holder had caught fire and battled to contain the flames, which apparently took little more than 5 minutes to quench.
Fortunately, the fire brigade had been alerted by a policeman on night duty – PC R Phipps – who had heard hissing and rumbling sounds from the gasworks and had run to the fire station to sound the alarm.
There would have been rather more than 200 cu ft of gas, even if it was nominally empty. Perhaps it had been leaking for a long time and it was the plume that ignited.
Yes, quite a lot more!
as 6’x6’x6′ = 216 cu ft
A tiny amount…
Whereabouts was the gas holder sited?
https://www.wightpedia.org.uk/w/Newport_Gas_Works
On the site now occupied by the Riverside Centre
Anyone know the site of the gas works?
Somewhere near the Riverside Centre I believe ?
I was 6 at the time and remember well the local excitement and also, of course, our childish wonderment at the sight of the ruined gasholder. In those days the smell of coal-gas was always familiar.