13/02/2008

Two Held Over Firefighter Deaths

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of the manslaughter of two firemen who were killed while dealing with an explosion at a Sussex fireworks factory last December.

BBC South East reported that Martin Winter, 50, the owner of Festival Fireworks in Shortgate and Nathan Winter, 23, were arrested after voluntarily attending a custody centre on Tuesday.

Sussex Police confirmed that both men had been released on police bail until April 23.

Forty-nine-year-old Geoff Wicker, a retained firefighter, was killed in the blaze at the factory, near Lewes in East Sussex on December 3, 2006, along with Brian Wembridge, a 63-year-old support officer.

The blaze at the Festival Fireworks factory near Lewes in East Sussex broke out on a Sunday afternoon and was followed by an explosion at the factory which was so large that people living 12 miles away heard it.

As well as the two members of the fire crew who were killed in the blast, 12 other people were also injured in the fire.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

See: Fireworks factory fire investigators waiting for access



(KMcA)


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