Reports of an explosion at the site of the old ‪#‎Didcot‬ A power station. ‪#‎BreakingNews‬ One person is feared dead and three unaccounted for. A major incident has been declared following the collapse of a building at Didcot A Power Station.

South Central Ambulance Service said it has sent its hazardous areas response team to the site, as well as three ambulances and the air ambulance.

Summary

Update: 5.15pm Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue  have  confirmed that they have  Officers are at Didcot Power Station at an incident with other emergency services. [tubentertain vid=”DmcWKJLnKgA” autoplay=”0″] Update: 7pm At 4.04 PM Thames Valley Fire Control Service received a call to a building collapse at Didcot Power Station. Five fire engines along with support vehicles including: Specialist Rescue and Command Support Units, and Urban Search and Rescue Units from Buckinghamshire have been mobilised along with extensive resources from Thames Valley Police and South Central Ambulance Service. Emergency responders from all three services were quickly in attendance and secured the scene. Dust from the collapse covered a considerable area and we can confirm that there were no hazardous materials within the building; residents are advised to remain inside keeping doors and windows closed. Area Manager Mat Carlile who is on scene said: “I can confirm search operations are in progress and that there has been one fatality, five persons have been taken to hospital and 3 persons are currently missing. Update: 7.40pm NHS organisations are working together to support the response to the major incident at Didcot Power Station. A spokesman for NHS England said Casualties were being taken to Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and support is being offered to South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust emergency responders by NHS England South.   Update: 8.30pm Statement from Cllr Rodney Rose, deputy leader of Oxfordshire County Council “My thoughts are with families with a loved one who has died or is still missing. Thanks to all the emergency services who are still trying to find people in the building.”   [tubentertain vid=”VMK1KKeXm3s” autoplay=”0″] Update: 8.40pm Statement from Nathan Travis, deputy chief fire officer, at the scene: “A major incident has been declared at Didcot Power Station following the partial collapse of a building. There was a partial collapse of a large building, which is approximately 300m long and ten storeys high. The building was due to be demolished in the coming months. Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has command of the incident, supported by South Central Ambulance Service and Thames Valley Police. Sadly, one person has been confirmed to have died during the incident. Meanwhile, five people have been taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford; two with serious injuries, two with minor injuries. There are three people reported missing on site at this time. More than 47 people were treated at the scene for dust inhalation, and have since been discharged. The Health and Safety Executive has been informed and will conduct an investigation, which will be supported by Thames Valley Police. There is currently a 100m cordon in place, however there are no public road closures at this time. The search will be a considerable undertaking due to the instability of the site. We expect the search will continue through the night and possibly into the coming days. There is Specialist Rescue and Command Support Units, and Urban Search and Rescue Units from Buckinghamshire at the scene, including search dogs. The fire service is being supported by South Central Ambulance Service and Thames Valley Police. Dust from the collapse covered a considerable area but I would like to reassure the public there were no hazardous materials within the building, we would advise local residents to remain inside, keeping doors and windows closed. Anyone concerned about dust inhalation should call NHS on 111. I would like to confirm that this is not being treated as a terrorist incident.”   [tubentertain vid=”URkfzDvH17w” autoplay=”0″] Update: 11pm

https://youtu.be/URkfzDvH17w [tubentertain vid=”KPqoRAAqIq8 ” autoplay=”0″] This in from Oxfordshire Health: Andrew Stevens, Director of Planning and Information at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: ‘We can confirm that of the five patients brought to the John Radcliffe Hospital as a result of the major incident at Didcot on Tuesday, 23 February, one patient was discharged last night, and three further patients will be discharged today.  One other patient remains with us in a stable condition.’ Dr Bruno Holthof, Chief Executive of Oxford University Hospitals said, ‘I would like to thank all our staff who responded so quickly and efficiently last night to the major incident.  I would also like to thank patients and visitors to our hospital for their understanding and patience as we dealt with the situation.  Our thoughts are with all the families of those involved in this tragic incident.’ Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust stood down from major incident last night.  However, we would like to remind members of the public to consider alternative options in the event of minor injuries or conditions that do not necessarily require treatment at the Emergency Department. District Environmental health officers have liased with teams on site and concluded there are no air quality issues. UPDATED: The multi-agency operation continues at Didcot A Power Station following the partial collapse of a building on Tuesday (23/2). The emergency services continue to provide support to the families of the three missing people and the family of the person who tragically died during the incident. The services remain committed to return the missing people to their families. This is a dynamic operation with the response of the emergency services reviewed regularly. Specialist heavy lifting and engineering equipment is being brought in as the operation moves forward. Chief Fire Officer Dave Etheridge, Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Services, said: “We are working with Thames Valley Police to keep families informed of our progress on the site. Our priority remains to recover those missing but the site remains extremely unstable – both the collapsed structure and the remaining building which has already been primed and cut for demolition. It is likely that a further collapse is possible and so the safety of the teams working on site has to be our first consideration. “We are continuing to work closely with structural engineers and demolition experts to establish a safe way of working on the site. We anticipate that this exercise will be prolonged and difficult. We extend our deepest sympathies to the family of the man who has died and our thoughts remain with the families of those missing.” Thames Valley Police Assistant Chief Constable Scott Chilton, said: “Our thoughts remain with the families involved and we continue to provide support to those of the three missing people and that of the man who tragically died. “We are continuing to work with the Health and Safety Executive and all the emergency services to understand the cause of this incident.” South Central Ambulance Service remains on site to deal with any recovered casualties. Updated 3pm on Friday from Didcot: ver the weekend the multi-agency operation will continue at Didcot A Power Station. We continue to work with structural engineers and demolition experts. The partially collapsed building remains unstable making this a complex operation. The priority remains to return the missing people to their families whilst ensuring the safety of all those on site. Local residents of Didcot may wish to consider keeping their doors and windows closed to avoid dust should there be any further collapse of the building. The Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Nathan Travis, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Services said: “We continue to work with Thames Valley Police to keep families informed of our progress on the site. This will continue through the weekend. Our priority remains to recover those missing. The site remains extremely unstable and so the safety of the teams working on site has to be our first consideration. “We are working very closely with structural experts on the site. We continue to anticipate that this exercise will be prolonged and difficult. We extend our deepest sympathies to the man who has died and our thoughts remain with the families of those missing. “I would like to reassure the public there were no hazardous materials within the building.” Thames Valley Police Assistant Chief Constable, Scott Chilton, said: “I cannot imagine what this must be like for the families of the three missing people. The police are continuing to do everything we can to recover their loved ones and will continue to support the family during this terrible time.” South Central Ambulance Service remains on site to deal with any recovered casualties