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Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service
Four Fire fighters were killed in a fire at a vegetable warehouse on the Atherstone on Stour industrial estate, which is believed to have started at just after 6pm on Friday night (2 November).
Taken from the Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service web site.
http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/Web/corporate/pages.nsf/Links/B2E094...
Families pay tribute to their heroes,
Thursday 8th November, 2007
The impact of their loss on the community is unimaginable.William BrownThe families of four firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty have paid tribute to their loved ones.
Tuesday night saw the families and more than 200 emergency service personnel stand in silent respect in a guard of honour as the three bodies were taken from the ruins of the warehouse in Atherstone on Stour.
The fire happened on Friday evening, and 44-year-old Ian Reid was pulled from the building that night, but was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.
Three other colleagues Darren Yates-Badley, aged 24; John Averis, aged 27; and Ashley Stephens, aged 20, were missing in the building until their bodies were recovered last night.
A guard of honour, formed by members of all emergency services, lined the road as the three firefighters were taken from the scene. All heads were bowed as a mark of respect as the vehicles passed.
Standard bearers from Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service led the procession which included outriders from Warwickshire Police.
All work came to a standstill and a minute's silence was held.
The families have given the following tributes:
Ashley Stephens
Ashley Stephens, aged 20, followed in his father's footsteps and joined Alcester Fire Station in April 2006.
Ashley is survived by his three-month-old son George and fiancée Emma Crocker (17). His father Paul Stephens is Watch Manager at Alcester Fire Station and has been with the service for 26 years.
His fiancée, Emma Crocker, his mother Sharon and his father Paul today paid tribute to Ashley.
They said: “Ashley was a wonderful loving father, fiancée, son and brother and he will always be in our hearts.
“Ashley adored his family and his football and he was an ardent Manchester United follower. He lived his life for his family, especially his fiancée Emma and three month old son George.
“He was totally dedicated to his job as a firefighter and he also enjoyed his role working for a local joinery company. Ashley was shy and gentle and loved his job in the fire service.
“We are totally numbed by this event which has left us devastated beyond belief for all the firefighters involved and their families. We would like to thank everyone in the community for their kind support, messages of sympathy and donations to the appeal. This has meant a great deal to us and has been very comforting.
“Now that we have issued this statement we would request that the media respect the privacy of our families and everyone at the fire station.”
Darren Yates-Badley
Darren Yates-Badley, aged 24, worked as a firefighter in Warwickshire for the past five years, based at Alcester Fire Station.
He is survived by his wife Fay (24) whom he met at Stratford College and married just a month ago on October 6th. He also has a daughter, India, who is three and a half years old.
His wife Fay, his mother Mandy Baylis and his father Stephen Baylis paid tribute to him today:
“Darren was a larger than life character and would speak to and help anyone he met. He valued his strong family bond and was closely tied to the area because of his role at the fire service here.
“He loved his role as a firefighter and had just qualified to drive appliances. He was a gym instructor, he loved karaoke and he gave up his free time to help other people.
“Darren treated everyone equally and with the same kindness. We would like to thank everyone for their tributes which have been a great comfort. We didn’t realise the impact that Darren had on other people’s lives and he is our hero.
“In light of this statement we would ask the media to respect our privacy and allow us to deal with this tragic event.”
Ian Reid
Ian Reid, aged 44, worked as a firefighter at Stratford and Rugby fire stations.
Ian joined the fire service in February 2003 and was promoted to crew manager in August 2004.
Ian is survived by his wife Julie, whom he married fifteen years ago, and daughter Sophie aged 11. Although he was not born in Stratford, he moved to the town at an early age and met his wife Julie when they both worked at the tax office there.
Ian’s wife Julie and his daughter Sophie both paid tribute to Ian today.
Sophie said: “My dad would do anything for me and he would take me to football every weekend. He was a lovely person and would help me with my homework. I’ll miss him being around all the time.”
Ian’s wife Julie said: “Ian was very compassionate and caring about everyone, particularly those less fortunate than himself. He was very much a family man and he treasured his time with our eleven-year-old daughter Sophie. He coached her at football and never missed one of her matches playing for the girls’ football team.”
“Ian loved the fire service, he would spend so much time at the station and would take up any training opportunity that was on offer. He really got on well with everyone at the station and he knew many of his colleagues from growing up in Stratford.
“We would like to thank the police and the fire service for their support in helping us through this difficult time. We would also like to thank our family, friends, work colleagues and the many people from the local area for their kind words and support.”
“Ian will be missed so much. This is a huge loss to everyone who knew him.”
Now that this statement has been issued the media are requested to respect the privacy of the family and not to approach them for further comments.
John Averis
John Averis, aged 27, was a firefighter based at Stratford Fire Station. He joined the service as a trainee in March 2004.
John previously worked as a herdsman, he loved the countryside and he had been a keen member of the National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs.
Today John's family paid tribute to him.
His older brother Paul said: "John touched a lot of people in his life. My phone has not stopped ringing and none of us realised how many people his life had touched.
"Little John had a large heart and he was courageous. Just like his dad he loved his slippers and would be straight out the door when his bleeper went, still in his slippers.
"He lived for the fire service and other people always came before himself."
"He was my little brother to everyone else and a ‘big brother’ to me."
John's family added: "We would like to thank everyone for their support and cards, particularly our local community who organised such a lovely church service for us last Sunday. This has really helped us."
In light of this statement, the media are requested to respect the privacy of John's family and not to approach them for further comment.
Warwickshire's Chief Fire Officer William Brown has described all the men as heroes.
He said: "Our work involves us in often difficult and sometimes highly dangerous call-outs. These professional men were doing their job of controlling a raging fire - with a tragic outcome - but their actions remain those of heroes. Men who save lives and properties.
"Our hearts and minds are with the family and friends of these local men. The impact of their loss on the community is unimaginable. The grieving has only just begun and will take a long time for us to recover and understand what has happened here."
Taken from the Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service web site.
http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/Web/corporate/pages.nsf/Links/B2E094...
Families pay tribute to their heroes,
Thursday 8th November, 2007
The impact of their loss on the community is unimaginable.William BrownThe families of four firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty have paid tribute to their loved ones.
Tuesday night saw the families and more than 200 emergency service personnel stand in silent respect in a guard of honour as the three bodies were taken from the ruins of the warehouse in Atherstone on Stour.
The fire happened on Friday evening, and 44-year-old Ian Reid was pulled from the building that night, but was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.
Three other colleagues Darren Yates-Badley, aged 24; John Averis, aged 27; and Ashley Stephens, aged 20, were missing in the building until their bodies were recovered last night.
A guard of honour, formed by members of all emergency services, lined the road as the three firefighters were taken from the scene. All heads were bowed as a mark of respect as the vehicles passed.
Standard bearers from Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service led the procession which included outriders from Warwickshire Police.
All work came to a standstill and a minute's silence was held.
The families have given the following tributes:
Ashley Stephens
Ashley Stephens, aged 20, followed in his father's footsteps and joined Alcester Fire Station in April 2006.
Ashley is survived by his three-month-old son George and fiancée Emma Crocker (17). His father Paul Stephens is Watch Manager at Alcester Fire Station and has been with the service for 26 years.
His fiancée, Emma Crocker, his mother Sharon and his father Paul today paid tribute to Ashley.
They said: “Ashley was a wonderful loving father, fiancée, son and brother and he will always be in our hearts.
“Ashley adored his family and his football and he was an ardent Manchester United follower. He lived his life for his family, especially his fiancée Emma and three month old son George.
“He was totally dedicated to his job as a firefighter and he also enjoyed his role working for a local joinery company. Ashley was shy and gentle and loved his job in the fire service.
“We are totally numbed by this event which has left us devastated beyond belief for all the firefighters involved and their families. We would like to thank everyone in the community for their kind support, messages of sympathy and donations to the appeal. This has meant a great deal to us and has been very comforting.
“Now that we have issued this statement we would request that the media respect the privacy of our families and everyone at the fire station.”
Darren Yates-Badley
Darren Yates-Badley, aged 24, worked as a firefighter in Warwickshire for the past five years, based at Alcester Fire Station.
He is survived by his wife Fay (24) whom he met at Stratford College and married just a month ago on October 6th. He also has a daughter, India, who is three and a half years old.
His wife Fay, his mother Mandy Baylis and his father Stephen Baylis paid tribute to him today:
“Darren was a larger than life character and would speak to and help anyone he met. He valued his strong family bond and was closely tied to the area because of his role at the fire service here.
“He loved his role as a firefighter and had just qualified to drive appliances. He was a gym instructor, he loved karaoke and he gave up his free time to help other people.
“Darren treated everyone equally and with the same kindness. We would like to thank everyone for their tributes which have been a great comfort. We didn’t realise the impact that Darren had on other people’s lives and he is our hero.
“In light of this statement we would ask the media to respect our privacy and allow us to deal with this tragic event.”
Ian Reid
Ian Reid, aged 44, worked as a firefighter at Stratford and Rugby fire stations.
Ian joined the fire service in February 2003 and was promoted to crew manager in August 2004.
Ian is survived by his wife Julie, whom he married fifteen years ago, and daughter Sophie aged 11. Although he was not born in Stratford, he moved to the town at an early age and met his wife Julie when they both worked at the tax office there.
Ian’s wife Julie and his daughter Sophie both paid tribute to Ian today.
Sophie said: “My dad would do anything for me and he would take me to football every weekend. He was a lovely person and would help me with my homework. I’ll miss him being around all the time.”
Ian’s wife Julie said: “Ian was very compassionate and caring about everyone, particularly those less fortunate than himself. He was very much a family man and he treasured his time with our eleven-year-old daughter Sophie. He coached her at football and never missed one of her matches playing for the girls’ football team.”
“Ian loved the fire service, he would spend so much time at the station and would take up any training opportunity that was on offer. He really got on well with everyone at the station and he knew many of his colleagues from growing up in Stratford.
“We would like to thank the police and the fire service for their support in helping us through this difficult time. We would also like to thank our family, friends, work colleagues and the many people from the local area for their kind words and support.”
“Ian will be missed so much. This is a huge loss to everyone who knew him.”
Now that this statement has been issued the media are requested to respect the privacy of the family and not to approach them for further comments.
John Averis
John Averis, aged 27, was a firefighter based at Stratford Fire Station. He joined the service as a trainee in March 2004.
John previously worked as a herdsman, he loved the countryside and he had been a keen member of the National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs.
Today John's family paid tribute to him.
His older brother Paul said: "John touched a lot of people in his life. My phone has not stopped ringing and none of us realised how many people his life had touched.
"Little John had a large heart and he was courageous. Just like his dad he loved his slippers and would be straight out the door when his bleeper went, still in his slippers.
"He lived for the fire service and other people always came before himself."
"He was my little brother to everyone else and a ‘big brother’ to me."
John's family added: "We would like to thank everyone for their support and cards, particularly our local community who organised such a lovely church service for us last Sunday. This has really helped us."
In light of this statement, the media are requested to respect the privacy of John's family and not to approach them for further comment.
Warwickshire's Chief Fire Officer William Brown has described all the men as heroes.
He said: "Our work involves us in often difficult and sometimes highly dangerous call-outs. These professional men were doing their job of controlling a raging fire - with a tragic outcome - but their actions remain those of heroes. Men who save lives and properties.
"Our hearts and minds are with the family and friends of these local men. The impact of their loss on the community is unimaginable. The grieving has only just begun and will take a long time for us to recover and understand what has happened here."
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