Fire in the Night
Nov 2010 · Sold by Pan Macmillan
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7 reviews
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320
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About this ebook
The fire was visible from seventy miles away and the heat generated was so intense that a helicopter could only circle the rig at a perimeter of one mile. On the surface of the sea, a converted fishing trawler inched as close as possible, but the paint on the vessel’s hull blistered and burnt. In the water surrounding the inferno, men’s heads could be seen bobbing like apples as their yellow hard hats melted with the heat.
On 6 July 1988 a series of explosions ripped through the Piper Alpha oil platform, 110 miles north-east of Aberdeen in the North Sea. Ablaze with 226 men on board, the searing temperatures caused the platform to collapse in just two hours. Only sixty-one would survive by leaping over 100 feet into the water below.
Newly updated for the thirtieth year since the tragedy, Fire in the Night by journalist Stephen McGinty tells in gripping detail the devastating story of that summer evening. Combining interviews with survivors, witness statements and transcripts from the official inquiry into the disaster, this is the moving and vivid tale of what remains the worst offshore oil-rig disaster to date.
On 6 July 1988 a series of explosions ripped through the Piper Alpha oil platform, 110 miles north-east of Aberdeen in the North Sea. Ablaze with 226 men on board, the searing temperatures caused the platform to collapse in just two hours. Only sixty-one would survive by leaping over 100 feet into the water below.
Newly updated for the thirtieth year since the tragedy, Fire in the Night by journalist Stephen McGinty tells in gripping detail the devastating story of that summer evening. Combining interviews with survivors, witness statements and transcripts from the official inquiry into the disaster, this is the moving and vivid tale of what remains the worst offshore oil-rig disaster to date.
The fire was visible from seventy miles away and the heat generated was so intense that a helicopter could only circle the rig at a perimeter of one mile. On the surface of the sea, a converted fishing trawler inched as close as possible, but the paint on the vessel’s hull blistered and burnt. In...
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Ratings and reviews
7 reviews
Richard Bown
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August 29, 2013
A thoroughly engaging, well written and heartbreaking account of one of our greatest tragedies. I worked offshore post piper alpha for 5 years and you hear the stories of what happened that night. Even having worked offshore, I cannot possibly imagine the hell that these poor people went through that night. I would reccomend that readers also watch the excellent documentary 'fire in the night' based on this book. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
About the author
Stephen McGinty is the author of Fire in the Night, This Turbulent Priest: A Biography of Cardinal Thomas Winning, Churchill’s Cigar and Camp Z: How MI5 Cracked Hitler’s Deputy. He writes for The Sunday Times Scotland and produces television documentaries including the BAFTA Scotland winning Dunblane: Our Story. Fire in the Night, the feature length documentary, based on his book won the ‘Audience Award’ at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Stephen McGinty is the author of Fire in the Night, This Turbulent Priest: A Biography of Cardinal Thomas Winning, Churchill’s Cigar and Camp Z: How MI5 Cracked Hitler’s Deputy. He writes for The Sunday Times Scotland and produces television documentaries including the BAFTA Scotland winning Dunb...
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