HOWZAT

As the investigation into the cause of the fire continued, residents and businesses began to return to their homes and offices surrounding the site. Police maintained checkpoints to guard against looting, and to ensure that only residents were allowed through.

The situation on the scene appeared to be more controlled than yesterday, when fire crews were repeatedly forced to move back from the site as the 60ft containers creaked and groaned before blowing apart, sending up fireballs and gushing more fuel.

Firefighters were continuing to douse occasional flash fires on tank 12, as flames occasional burst through the foam blanket.

The most serious remaining fire is from tank 912, which collapsed in on itself overnight. Officers were optimistic that the collapse would smother the flames - fuelled by gas streaming from a shattered pressure valve - and prevent any further explosion.

Roy Wilsher, the chief fire officer, told reporters that a decision had been taken to allow the fire to burn itself out.

"We anticipate that the collapse will be good for us. It means we haven't got a jet fire anymore. At this very minute the on-site experts and forward commander are assessing how much petroleum is left in that area. At the right time we will extinguish that fire, but only when we are absolutely certain it is safe for us and the surrounding area."

The plume of smoke was this morning moving south towards. Safety officers advised that although the cloud is not toxic, people should stay indoors as the smoke descends to ground level.

Daniel Zammit, Chief Executive of Dacorum Borough Council, said: "This is all about getting Hemel back onto its feet. People need help to get on with their lives."

He said that initial investigations showed that much of the damage was superficial, and only a "handful" of families remained without permanent accommodation. "Despite the excessive damage we are entirely confident that Hemel Hempstead can recover from this disaster."

Iinsurance assessors warned that the cost to nearby businesses would run into the “multi-millions of pounds”.

Robert Rose, of the Harris Group of claims assessors, led his team to begin inspecting the damage to his clients’ properties. He said: “I have seen a lot of devastation, windows are cracked and blown in. When it comes to the cost of the damage ... it is going to be in the multi-millions.”

A man who was taken to hospital after being trapped in the explosion was released yesterday. A boy of 14 who apparently swallowed some of the foam used to fight the blaze was treated overnight.

A spokesman for the Primary Care Trust said: "The foam is relatively harmless but it will may lie in gardens and fields some miles around. The common sense advice is not to touch it and certainly not to swallow it..."

Residents returning to their homes spoke of their anger, frustration and relief.

John Lane and his wife Veronica, with their daughter, 11, and son, 4, said that they were relieved to be finally going home. Mr Lane, 50, said: "In the quieter moments you do feel it bubbling up inside. It’s not so much anger as frustration and not knowing what is going to happen."

Mark McNally, 36, and his girlfriend, Marie Keane, 34, were still not ready to take their 15-month-old daughter home. Ms McNally said: "We don’t want to bring our baby back for days. Her lungs are only just developing, but the fire is still burning and there’s still a tank of aviation fuel."

Sue Ashton, 30, said the past two days had been very confusing, particularly as they had been out until 2am on the night before the explosion. "We kept asking the policeman on the barriers if we could come home yet," she said. "Friends and family have been great but the anxiety of not knowing has been really difficult.

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