The firework disaster in Kolding, Denmark - 2004
Created | Updated Mar 15, 2017
It was november the 3rd 2004. While medias around the world were fixed on the US election, Denmark had another more serious problem on it's hands. One of the largest catastrophes in Danish history was about to unfold itself on a small neighbourhood in Kolding, Denmark.
In Jutland lies a large town called Kolding. Like the rest of Denmark this town is a quiet and peaceful place to live and drama is usually something you see happening on tv. Birds were in the air that day, whistling their delightfull winter songs. The mail had just been delivered to the residents of the area of Kolding known as 'Seest'. Seest is a small neighbourhood made of villas and it's the kind of peaceful place where the neighbours know eachother. But on this, the 3rd day of november, Seest was hit by the most unlikely accident. At 2 pm a container at the nearby fireworks factory 'N.P. Johnsens' bursts into flames. The factory has a significant storage of fireworks, so a very short while after the fire is discovered the neighbourhood is informed about the fire by a cruising police car. At 3:25 an explosion occurs in the container. As the fire spreads more containers catch fire and turn into giant bombs blasting huge amounts of fire and smoke into the air. At this point the sirens in the area are turned on and a desission is made to evacuate the entire neighbourhood of Seest. The explosions are so powerful that they throw debree, rocks, fences and building bricks into the air and makes it life-threatening to go around in the streets as far as 300 meters away. Thinking they're safe the evacuated residents of Seest are surprised when they are told that they will have to be evacuated further away from the factory since the fire has now gone beyond control of the fire department. 279 men from the police department and the homeland security are set in to protect and evacuate the citizens.
At 5:30 All train traffic between Kolding and Lunderskov is cancelled because of the fire and the falling rocks.
05:45 Three enormous explosions in the factory halls and the following chockwave is felt over the entire city, damaging most villas in Seest. The entire factory blows up in an enormous explosion caught on camera just as it happens. Numerous firemen and civilians are hurt due to the explosions and sadly one fireman is killed after failing to get out of the factory before the explosion. Completely out of control the fire spreads to several villas in Seest and many of them burn down to the ground leaving hundreds of people homeless and without any other possessions than the clothes they're wearing.
6:55 the power cuts out in all of Kolding. Firemen from as far away as Fyn try to get control of the fire during the evening and the night but sadly it is too late and while firecrackers explode and rockets light up the night sky, 2000 evacuated people go to bed in the evacuation centre not knowing what has happened to their homes and their lives.
November 4th:
7:00 AM. The Police inspects the area of the disaster. It is decided to stop all fire extinguishing due to the dangerous amount of thousand Krysantemum-Bombs that have been spread around Seest by the explosions.
The final conclusion is that 350 houses have been damaged, more than 20 villas have burned down and several more have been damaged by the pressure of the explosions.
This was a catastrophe which caught the attention of the entire nation. The US Election was moved to the second row in the news as the fire was broadcastet live to every home in Denmark. As the only really international tv-station BBC World showed a clip from the disaster but apart from that no other country reported from it, as far as I know. But it has become an important part of Danish History now and should be remembered by all. If not because of the fireman who lost his life protecting others, then because of the awareness we must feel towards companies building explosives factories near small town neighbourhoods.
Please feel free to correct my English spelling... After all, I'm Danish!
In Jutland lies a large town called Kolding. Like the rest of Denmark this town is a quiet and peaceful place to live and drama is usually something you see happening on tv. Birds were in the air that day, whistling their delightfull winter songs. The mail had just been delivered to the residents of the area of Kolding known as 'Seest'. Seest is a small neighbourhood made of villas and it's the kind of peaceful place where the neighbours know eachother. But on this, the 3rd day of november, Seest was hit by the most unlikely accident. At 2 pm a container at the nearby fireworks factory 'N.P. Johnsens' bursts into flames. The factory has a significant storage of fireworks, so a very short while after the fire is discovered the neighbourhood is informed about the fire by a cruising police car. At 3:25 an explosion occurs in the container. As the fire spreads more containers catch fire and turn into giant bombs blasting huge amounts of fire and smoke into the air. At this point the sirens in the area are turned on and a desission is made to evacuate the entire neighbourhood of Seest. The explosions are so powerful that they throw debree, rocks, fences and building bricks into the air and makes it life-threatening to go around in the streets as far as 300 meters away. Thinking they're safe the evacuated residents of Seest are surprised when they are told that they will have to be evacuated further away from the factory since the fire has now gone beyond control of the fire department. 279 men from the police department and the homeland security are set in to protect and evacuate the citizens.
At 5:30 All train traffic between Kolding and Lunderskov is cancelled because of the fire and the falling rocks.
05:45 Three enormous explosions in the factory halls and the following chockwave is felt over the entire city, damaging most villas in Seest. The entire factory blows up in an enormous explosion caught on camera just as it happens. Numerous firemen and civilians are hurt due to the explosions and sadly one fireman is killed after failing to get out of the factory before the explosion. Completely out of control the fire spreads to several villas in Seest and many of them burn down to the ground leaving hundreds of people homeless and without any other possessions than the clothes they're wearing.
6:55 the power cuts out in all of Kolding. Firemen from as far away as Fyn try to get control of the fire during the evening and the night but sadly it is too late and while firecrackers explode and rockets light up the night sky, 2000 evacuated people go to bed in the evacuation centre not knowing what has happened to their homes and their lives.
November 4th:
7:00 AM. The Police inspects the area of the disaster. It is decided to stop all fire extinguishing due to the dangerous amount of thousand Krysantemum-Bombs that have been spread around Seest by the explosions.
The final conclusion is that 350 houses have been damaged, more than 20 villas have burned down and several more have been damaged by the pressure of the explosions.
This was a catastrophe which caught the attention of the entire nation. The US Election was moved to the second row in the news as the fire was broadcastet live to every home in Denmark. As the only really international tv-station BBC World showed a clip from the disaster but apart from that no other country reported from it, as far as I know. But it has become an important part of Danish History now and should be remembered by all. If not because of the fireman who lost his life protecting others, then because of the awareness we must feel towards companies building explosives factories near small town neighbourhoods.
Please feel free to correct my English spelling... After all, I'm Danish!
