The day the sky turned black, when the Distillex chemical plant exploded and caused havoc throughout the North East

The date was 12th April, 2002. It seemed to be an ordinary day in the North East, that was until a gigantic column of black smoke filled the sky over the River Tyne, and was so large it could be seen from as far away from the North East.

What caused the Distillex Factory fire?

In the Distillex chemical plant located in Percy Street, North Shields, some rags contaminated with chemicals had been thrown into a nearby skip. The carelessness of such hazardous materials led to them being caught by the sparks produced by an angle grinder, the result was a gigantic fire and a series of explosions which soon engulfed the entire plant and its 400,000 litres of chemicals, creating a gigantic column of black smoke.

Across the River Tyne, crowds in South Shields watched in horror and gathered on the hill as to what was unfolding, as chaos ensued on the other side. With the factory being right in the middle of a residential area, police were forced to put up an exclusion zone and evacuate residents. The Tyne and Wear metro was then shut down, while a no fly zone was declared over Newcastle Airport, grounding flights and diverting others.

The fire required 25 fire engines to bring it under control, which took five hours.

What repercussions did the company face?

Thankfully, nobody was hurt and the response to it by authorities was well organised. Naturally, the company was immediately prosecuted on gross negligence charges for endangering public safety. Although their plant was ruined and would of course not be reopened, it is arguable that the firm got off lightly for what they done. They were fined a mere £39,000 by a crown court judge.

The saga of course teaches an important lesson in the management of chemicals, health and safety. From little sparks and careless dumping can come huge consequences.