The shock on the streets of Avonmouth is still raw today (December 4) following an explosion which killed four people at the Wessex Water treatment works nearby.
Most people heard the boom in Avonmouth - it rattled windows and turned heads - and the sickening sound of sirens filled the air almost immediately.
Explosions, fires and 'incidents' are the kind of thing they are wearily used to in this part of what locals call the 'forgotten corner' of Bristol.
The village in Bristol is surrounded by industry, waste tips, reclamation yards, sewage works, wind turbines, processing plants, factories and industrial units, and people living there have long complained about flies in the summer, sporadic fires and booms in the dead of night.
We are bringing you updates throughout the day from Avonmouth here.
But yesterday was different, even worse - and this morning, a bright Friday morning where many should be looking forward to the weekend, was instead one of sorrow and shock.
Marcelle Stokes works at Budget Greetings Cards, just across the road from Wessex Water's entrance.
“I heard a large bang, it made the whole shop shake," she said.
"Within minutes we heard sirens and then the helicopter. It’s absolutely dreadful that four people died. Very sad."
Wessex Water's workers come from all over the area - many at what is the city's main waste treatment plant have worked there for years, and it's been described as 'the Wessex Water family' by all those connected with the company as the tributes and messages of condolence have flooded social media.
On the streets of Avonmouth, the explosion was the only thing people were talking about, said Pat Capaldi, the owner of Avonmouth paint and supplies.
“Everyone is saying what a tragedy it is and what a terrible year it has been. It is very sad," he added.
“It isn’t right that you go to work and you don’t come back. You never think something like that would happen.
“Christmas is blighted for everyone now. No one has expressed anything but sadness today - the whole community is mourning right now," he added.
Avonmouth sits on the western side of the M5, whose bridge and junction tower over the entrance to the community at the end of the A4 Portway in from the rest of Bristol.
On the other side of the motorway is Lawrence Weston and Shirehampton, tight-knit communities in post-war housing estates where many of the workers in the heavy industry of Avonmouth come from.
The church in L-Dub, as it's nicknamed, was opened first thing by Rev Fran Brealey, and there were shocked colleagues of the men who died in through the door almost immediately.
“We wanted to open the church so people had a quiet place to come and light a candle," she said.
Speaking shortly after opening their doors, the Reverend said they had had friends and colleagues of the four people coming in. “We have been chatting about their loss and the shock they are feeling,” she said.
“Some of the people that have come here today said the site is like a family - it is a very difficult time. It is a tragic loss of lives.
“We just want to be there to offer support - not just to the people who knew them, but the whole community," she added.
“We just want people to have a quiet place to come - as a church we are at the heart of the community and we just want to be there for them.”
The nature of the work at the Wessex Water site meant that people still had to come in the morning after. At Parsons Bakery in Avonmouth Road, Shelly donated cakes to one member of Wessex Water staff who came in for a round of bacon rolls for the shocked staff.
Get stories from across Bristol straight to your inbox.
“She was shell shocked - she said they are still trying to get their heads round what has happened,” Shelly said.
Shelly said the employee told them that, because of the nature of the job, many people had had to go in today.
“She knew the people that died,” she added. “It is really sad for this to have happened - it is shocking and we send our love to the families," she added. “It is devastating.”
At another local shop, Caroline behind the tills pointed out it was the second incident that's happened in recent weeks in Avonmouth - the last one thankfully saw no casualties.
“Accidents do happen but maybe health and safety needs to be stepped up," she added.
“It is heartbreaking and shocking, especially so close to Christmas. After such a difficult year this is the last thing we need," she added.
The feeling that this tragedy didn't come completely out of the blue, that it is the latest in a long line of incidents in Avonmouth, is something in many minds in the community.
Last week there was a fire in Avonmouth, and it was less than two months ago that residents woke to find a huge plume of thick smoke rising above their homes from a metal recycling site just yards away.
Then it was 20,000 tonnes of scrap metal ablaze, last October it was 4,000 tonnes of animal feed that burned for a day.
Even the local MP acknowledged it in one of his first tweets about the explosion.
"I’m conscious this is the second serious incident in Avonmouth in as many weeks," he wrote.
"Once our emergency services have resolved this incident and helped any injured workers, I’ll be calling on the Environment Agency and the Health & Safety Executive and others to ensure lessons are being learnt for the future," he added.
