Oil Refinery Inferno

Many ex-Rhodies will remember the massive  Salisbury oil refinery inferno. Where were you?  It was Monday 11th December at just after 9pm, when the tanks burst into flames, causing an inferno visible 25km away. Hundreds of people drove to the scene to find out what was going on. When they couldn’t get as close as they wanted to, the drove up the Salisbury Kopje to get a better view. Those that missed hearing about it on the night it happened, woke up the next morning to read all about it in The Herald…

Story breaks

Eyewitnesses related their experiences…

EyewitnessAnd so began days and days of newspaper coverage as firefighters tried to get the blaze under control…

Havoc as fuel depot blazesIt was no small task and neither was it safe…

Running for their livesThere were some close calls as the wind played havoc…

Fire heroesIan Smith visited…

Ian Smith visitingSouth Africa sent help and with their ‘fire power’ the turning point came…

Turning pointAnd the news became more hopeful…

Winning the fightThere was a strategy that worked…

Firefighters winning the battleAnd finally, the news everyone wanted to read…after 5 and a half days….

The fire is outAnother memorable event from our Rhodesian days.

Ecclesiastes 3:8 “..a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”

It is part of our history. We survived it.

 

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