Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Inquest shows firefighters perished after becoming trapped in cabling

An inquest into a deadly fire at Shirley Towers in Southampton, U.K. has indicated that the two firefighters who perished became trapped in cabling that had fallen from above while they were attempting to fight the blaze.

The fire occurred on April 6, 2010 and although no individuals will be prosecuted in relation to the deaths, an inquest has commenced. On that night firefighters Alan Bannon, 38 and James Shears, 35, died in the fire that ignited when a curtain was left in a lamp.

The U.K.'s Daily Echo has followed the inquest. On June 20, Daily Echo assistant news editor Jenny Makin reported that a separate firefighting unit had successfully evacuated the building, but "Mr. Bannon and Mr. Shears had become trapped under cabling that had fallen from above. It was eight minutes later when an automatic distress signal on Mr. Shears' firefighting kit was activated."

Seven minutes after the distress signal was activated, "Mr. Bannon's breathing apparatus ran out of oxygen and within a minute of that happening, his distress alarm sounded after he failed to move for 30 seconds, meaning it was likely he was unconscious," Makin reported.

You can see the Daily Echo's full reporting on the inquest here.

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