Remembering four Warwickshire firefighters 18 years after tragic deaths in warehouse fire

TODAY (2nd November) marks the 18th anniversary of the horrific blaze at Atherstone-on-Stour which saw four firefighters lose their lives.

Firefighters across the county will pay tribute to their colleagues Ashley Stephens, 20, Darren Yates-Badley, 24, John Averis, 27, and Ian Reid, 44.

They all lost their lives in a major fire at a vegetable packaging warehouse site owned by Wealmoor Atherstone Ltd on 2nd November 2007.

The tragedy will be marked by the lowering of flags to half-mast this evening at 7.28pm until sunrise on Monday (3rd November) at 7.28pm.

The four firefighters, who were from Alcester and Stratford, were among the 100 from Warwickshire, Hereford and Worcester and the West Midlands sent to tackle the major incident.

Steve Wright, general secretary at the Fire Brigades Union, said on X: “Today we remember Ian Reid, John Averis, Ashley Stephens and Darren Yates-Badley, who lost their lives at an incident in Atherstone-on-Stour in 2007.

“Their deaths exposed serious failings and remind us that safety is not automatic - it must be fought for every day through strong organisation and accountability.”

The four men had been ordered into the warehouse and crews were inside when the roof collapsed. The fire was later confirmed to be arson.

Warwickshire County Council, which is responsible for the county’s fire service, admitted a health and safety charge and was fined £30,000.