2007 Atherstone fire
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Atherstone on Stour fire took place on 2 November 2007 in the village of Atherstone on Stour
Atherstone on Stour
Atherstone on Stour is a village and civil parish in the Stratford on Avon district of Warwickshire, England. It is located about three miles south of Stratford-upon-Avon, on the Warwickshire-Gloucestershire border and is essentially the estate village of Alscot Park...

 in Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...

 in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

A vegetable packing plant the size of four association football pitches caught fire in a suspected arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...

 attack. Four firefighters were reported missing that night after they went in to rescue workers they thought they were stuck in building. One was quickly pulled out of the wreckage but died later in hospital. Due to the debris and the instability of the building three of the bodies were not found until 6 November, despite the efforts of several crews. This was the largest number of firefighters lost in a single incident in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

 since seven firefighters died while fighting a fire at a warehouse in Kilbirnie Street, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

 in 1972.

On 28 February 2011 it was announced that three senior fire officers from the Warwickshire Fire Service
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service serving the county of Warwickshire in the West Midlands region of England....

 would face manslaughter by gross negligence charges over the deaths.

On 6 May 2011; three senior fire officers appeared in court, at the Leamington Justice Centre, to face the charges. Warwickshire County Council also faced a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act
Health and Safety at Work Act
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that defines the fundamental structure and authority for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare within the United Kingdom.The Act defines general duties on...

 of failing to ensure the health and safety of its employees. They were all granted unconditional bail. It was agreed both cases would be dealt with in the crown court
Crown Court
The Crown Court of England and Wales is, together with the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal, one of the constituent parts of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...

.

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