What happened at Marlie Farm in 2006?

On 3 December 2006 a fire broke out at the Festival Fireworks site at Marlie Farm, East Sussex. The fire would tragically claim the lives of two firefighters and injure 10 others.

The site contained many buildings used for the manufacturing and storage of fireworks with a licence agreement to do so under the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for Festival Fireworks (UK) Ltd.

However, the same site also contained a shop at the entrance to the site licensed as a different business (Sussex Fireworks & Displays Ltd) with jurisdiction falling under local authorities granting a permit to store 350kg of fireworks.

Both the HSE and Trading Standards, accompanied by the Sussex Police Explosives and Licensing Officer, carried out a site visit on 11 October 2006 concluding with several recommendations put forward for improvements, with written confirmation from the owner by 5 January that they had been carried out.

How did the Marlie Farm fire start?

The fire is believed to have been started by one of the owners who, while under caution, stated that while picking up a number of igniters they became live and ignited boxes of fireworks.

Shortly after the fire took hold an unlicensed shipping container packed full of firework explosives raised to auto-ignition temperature of 240°C. The explosion killed two firefighters with a blast wave effect that could be felt by neighbouring properties.

What can the industry learn from the Marlie Farm fire?

The inquiry into the incident found that the owners, a father and son, had deliberately placed fireworks capable of causing a mass explosion into the unlicensed container, flouting regulations for profit. They should have warned everyone of the risks and evacuated the site.

The court also heard that the firm was previously fined for improper storage of fireworks 10 years prior.

As a consequence, safety measures that were in place failed to protect the explosives from becoming involved in the fire, resulting in the deaths of two fire service personnel. There were also failings of the fire service which have since been addressed;

• No perception of risk from fireworks
• No training for this type of incident
• Crews not thinking about impact of their actions
• Crews’ knowledge of site
• Poor communication with emergency services and other agencies

The owners of the site received jail sentences of seven and five years.