'Booze chemicals' found at inferno site - The Sun
THE scene of a blast which killed five men contained chemicals that back up rumours it was used as an illegal vodka plant.
Police said searches of the industrial unit blown apart last night revealed evidence the victims may have produced alcohol there.
A source said he was "100 per cent sure" the unit in Boston, Lincs, was being used to make vodka.
He added: "They were brewing vodka there it's a well-known fact."
And Lincolnshire Police Superintendent Keith Owen said: "What I can confirm is that we have found chemicals on the premises which tend to indicate either the manufacture or production of alcohol."
A police source said the victims were foreign nationals. Latvians and Portuguese were among those arriving at the industrial estate fearing they had friends among the dead.
A sixth man who escaped the burning building was fighting for his life in hospital last night.
Paul Featherstone, 55, who lives nearby, said: "There were no flames but masses of thick black smoke. When the wind blew it over to us it had a strong smell like a brewery they were making vodka illegally to sell. We've seen them coming in and out of there before."
The blast on the Broadfield Lane Industrial Estate is just yards from allotments and a block of flats.
Paul said: "If the explosion hadn't killed them the smoke would have."
The noise of the 7pm explosion was heard up to five miles away. One local resident, who did not want to be named, said: "It sounded like the world was coming to an end."
Video: Industrial estate explosion kills 5
LINCOLNSHIRE blast thought to be connected to illegal alcohol brewing
Earlier this year 88 litres of dangerous counterfeit vodka was found in a major crackdown across Boston.
Cops warned that those drinking it risked being blinded.
Gary Seymour, assistant head of Lincolnshire Trading Standards, said: "It's a growing industry."
Cops could not confirm the nationality of the men or the cause of the blast last night, and were probing the incident.
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.
He said: "It was a really hot, intense fire."
Mr Moore said it was still unclear what had caused the fire, but the intense heat and rapid spread suggested some form of accelerant.
He said: "At this stage we cannot say what caused such intense heat or fire spread.
"Certainly, such an intense fire heat, a rapid spread, usually means there is very likely some form of accelerant of some description yet to be determined."
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