MADAM – After the fire and the explosions at the Nu-Pro factory in Thrupp on the evening of July 9, thick black acrid smoke obscured the sun and rolled past our homes for more than two hours.
The air stank. The rubble continued to smoke for days.

A lot of questions need answering now.
Here are some of the ones that need answering:
lWhat toxic mix was brewed in that smoke?
lHow harmful was it to life? I watched a crow flying against the clear evening sky under the black smoke. Its wings dropped, it floated briefly and plummeted into the valley.
lAre the black specs on our windows, the black strips of matter in our gardens, toxic still? What do we do with them?
lWhy were dangerous chemicals housed beside a main road in a residential area with a primary school and a high population of children?
lDid the authorities have any idea the chemicals were there? And if not, why not?
lWhat chemicals and what quantities of them were in the storage building that burned down?
lOn combustion, what chemical compound was released into the atmosphere?
lCan the residents of Thrupp be certain a full inquiry will take place soon?
Naomi Brandel and Michael Williams
Middle Road
Thrupp