Fatal Fire at Atherstone on Stour
Following the fire at the warehouse on the industrial estate at Atherstone on Stour, South Warwickshire on Friday 2 November, Warwickshire Police Chief Constable Bill Holland and County Fire Officer William Brown held a press briefing at Warwickshire Police Headquarters, Leek wootton, on Saturday morning (3 November)
Bill Holland opened the briefing by saying the thoughts of Warwickshire Police were with the families, colleagues and friends of the firefighters involved.
He went on to say that operations at the scene of the fire in Atherstone On Stour were still ongoing.
“The focus this morning remains on putting out the fire and finding the three missing firefighters.
”As we confirmed in the early hours of this morning, one firefighter has, sadly, lost his life. Our sympathies are extended to his family and friends and our colleagues in the fire service, and our thoughts are with the families of the missing officers.
He said that a major police investigation into the fire had begun and he said,
“The fire is being treated as suspicious at this time and this will remain the case until we have established the cause.
He appealed to anyone who was in the locality of the warehouse on the industrial estate near to Atherstone On Stour on Friday evening, from approximately 5pm onwards, who had any information which would be of assistance to the police and the fire, to contact Warwickshire Police.
“Did you see anyone in the area or any suspicious activity? “
He also said that the joint investigation of the fire at the warehouse will begin once the fire is out and it is safe to do so, adding “This will be a joint investigation involving specialists in fire investigation and our own forensic experts.”
William Brown, County Fire Officer told the media briefing, “We are deeply shocked by last night’s tragedy and our hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of our fire fighters.
“One of our fire fighters died last night and three of our fire fighters are still missing and we have grave concerns for them.
“Fire fighters operate by a close bond that allows us to do our work
in difficult and sometimes dangerous conditions.
“More than 80 of our fire fighters were working tirelessly throughout the night and are still working selflessly to extinguish the fire and make the area safe.
“We will work closely with our colleagues in the emergency services to find out what happened to try to ensure this terrible tragedy can never happen again.
“Our thanks go out to all our colleagues in our neighbouring forces, the police and ambulance services who have worked with us.
He concluded by saying “This has been the worst night in my 30 years service.”