ENGLAND Firefighters extinguish tank fires

Authorities believe the explosion was an accident.
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD, England (AP) -- One of the biggest blazes in Europe since World War II was reduced to a few small fires Tuesday as residents and business owners began returning to buildings near the site of the massive oil depot inferno.
Firefighters announced that the last of 20 oil tanks ignited in the blaze has been extinguished after a three-day battle that used millions of gallons of foam and water.
"The tanks are out," said Roy Wilsher, chief fire officer for Hertfordshire county. He said some small fires still were burning in concrete containers.
More than a dozen nearby industrial buildings face demolition after the blaze, which began when a huge explosion ripped through the Buncefield oil depot north of London early Sunday. The explosion and fire injured 43 people, two seriously. Authorities said they believed the explosion was an accident but they would examine other possible causes.
Nearby residents were evacuated, and 20,000 workers in an adjacent industrial park were unable to return to their jobs.
Wilsher rejected claims by the Fire Brigades Union that his teams were unprepared, saying they had never tackled such a large blaze.
"Firefighters all train to fight oil fires," he said. "But we had not trained to fight an oil fire this size."