Fuel depot blasts injure 36 in Britain

    LONDON, Dec. 13 (Xinhuanet) -- Firefighters extinguished on Tuesday afternoon massive container tank fires that had raged for three days in a key oil depot northwest of London, fire officials said Tuesday.

    The fires at all 20 of the container tanks, said to be the largest in peacetime Europe, finally died out nearly 60 hours after the first explosions ripped through the Buncefield oil depotearly on Sunday.

    "There are still some small bund (concrete container) fires, but the tanks are out," said Roy Wilsher, Hertfordshire chief fireofficer.

    With the cause of the pre-dawn explosion still unknown, the authorities believed it was an accident, saying other possible causes have not been ruled out.

    Many nearby residents evacuated during the blaze had been allowed to return to their homes Tuesday as attention is now turning toward post-fire rebuilding.

    Samples from the smoke plume are said to be "reassuring" by environmental officers at an afternoon briefing Tuesday, while Jane Halpin, director of Hertfordshire Public Health, advised residents near the site to stay at home with their doors and windows closed.

    Schools around the site, which have been closed since Monday, are to be reopened by Wednesday.

    The Buncefield depot stores jet fuel for nearby airports together with gasoline, diesel and kerosene.

    About 180 firefighters had battled to put out the fire, with 26fire engines and 30 kilometers of hose used in the effort. Enditem