What happened at the warehouses in Warwickshire in 2007?

On 2 November 2007 a fire broke out in warehouses used as vegetable packaging facilities in Atherstone on Stour, Warwickshire. The fire would tragically result in the deaths of four firefighters.

The building was constructed of steel frame sandwich panels on two levels using Eurobond 100mm Rockwool sandwich panels. The first level floor was constructed of fixed chipboard - this created a 500mm void between the floor levels. All were finished with plastic cover strips in order to comply with hygiene regulations.

How did the Warwickshire warehouse fire start?

The source of ignition is unknown, but at around 17:20 the fire detection and alarm system activated for zone 11, indicating a fire that was later found to be a pallet of packaging.

Manual attempts to extinguish the fire failed and proved to be difficult as flames reached the ceiling.

Fire crews arrived 31 minutes after activation of the alarm. By this time daylight had faded and the internal lighting system was in operation - smoke could be seen reaching the corridor.

Unable to locate the seat of the fire and overcome with heat, four firefighters lost their lives. Their bodies were recovered four days later.

What can the industry learn from the Warwickshire warehouse fire?

Upon arrival the fire services received information regarding a pallet fire, however, this was incorrect as the fire had advanced to 12 pallets, an increase in fire load.

Due to building changes over time the building footprint had changed significantly from its original use as a WWII aircraft hangar to a complex layout which was poorly documented.

Warwickshire Fire Service did not follow or have a strategic planning initiative to deal with an event on this scale - training and equipment requirements were overlooked.

Legislation that should have been complied with includes:

• The Health and Safety At Work Act 1974
• The Management of Health and Safety Regulations 1999

This event served as a reminder of what can happen if a fire and rescue authority does not follow the process of creating a suitable and sufficient Incident Risk Management Plan (IRMP).