Police investigate reports of illegal vodka distilling after Lincolnshire blast kills five men
Police are investigating whether an industrial unit where five men were killed in an explosion in Lincolnshire was being used to brew illegal alcohol.
Firefighters found five men at the property after an explosion shortly before 7.30pm on Wednesday in the Broadfield Lane estate in Boston. A sixth man was taken to hospital suffering from severe burns.
Local reports suggested the industrial unit was being used to produce alcohol, but police said that was only one line of inquiry. Investigators were keeping an "open mind and following up all relevant lines of inquiry", said a police spokeswoman.
"There has been all sorts of rumours along those lines," she said. "It is far too early for us to speculate."
Inquiries were on going and would involve a "full forensic examination of the unit" and fingertip searches of the cordoned-off unit to establish what was inside, she added.
Following the explosion on the industrial estate, including a collection of light industrial outlets including a mechanic's workshop and a vehicle wrecking yard, firefighters had to cut their way into the small unit after intense heat from the explosion had melted the doors. A car outside the unit was also incinerated.
The bodies of the five dead men were discovered inside the industrial unit. The sixth man was taken to Boston Pilgrim hospital with serious injuries, before being transferred to the Queen's medical centre in Nottingham.
Steve Moore, area manager from Lincolnshire fire and rescue service, described the incident as one of the worst he had seen in his 28-year career. "When the first crews attended they were faced with a really serious fire and a casualty who was outside the building suffering from burns," he said. "Their initial reaction was to treat the casualty. The incoming crew then started to fight the fire."
He added: "It was a really hot, intense fire. As far as the crews I have spoken to, its the single greatest loss of life in fire in their experience."
Ian Nuttall, 42, who lives 200 yards from the scene, said he noticed a commotion and smoke coming from the "lock-up" at about 7.30pm. "There was a rumour going round that it was some Polish nationals who have been brewing their own vodka which is a bit of a problem around here at the moment," he said.
Earlier this year, raids by HM Revenue and Customs, police and Lincolnshire trading standards seized goods including fake vodka from six international stores in the town. HMRC said forensic testing of the counterfeit alcohol, seized in March, showed it contained chemicals unsafe for public consumption. At least one store has lost its alcohol licence, while another has been suspended from selling alcohol.
Boston East councillor Mike Gilbert said: "I'm very anxious to find out exactly what's happened. It's a lot of people dead and a great tragedy."
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jul/14/boston-industrial-estate-explosion-alcohol
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