An impressive column of fire seen near Oxford

An impressive column of fire appeared north of Oxford, England. It appeared after an explosion at the site of a waste management company.

On Monday, October 2, a large fireball was seen in Oxford County, United Kingdom, while several witnesses spoke of an explosion in the region, according to several Anglo-Saxon media outlets, including Sky News.

Waste management site struck by lightning

A growing number of images have been circulating on social media in recent minutes, with evidence of the column of fire seen north-west of Oxford city.

According to local tabloid Oxford Mail, the fire broke out at a waste management company site near the town of Yarnton. “This evening, lightning struck a digester at our Cassington plant near Yarnton, Oxfordshire, causing an explosion in our biogas tanks,” the company confirmed on its Facebook account this evening.

“Fortunately no one was injured,” Severn Trent Power added, “and we are working with the emergency services to ensure the safety of the site and assess the extent of the damage as soon as possible.”

Thames Valley Police confirmed officers were at the scene.