The 2007 Atherstone on Stour fire took place on 2 November 2007 in the village of Atherstone on Stour in Warwickshire in England.
A vegetable packing plant the size of four association football pitches caught fire in a suspected arson attack. Four firefighters were reported missing that night after they went in to rescue workers they thought they were stuck in building. One was quickly pulled out of the wreckage but died later in hospital. Due to the debris and the instability of the building three of the bodies were not found until 6 November, despite the efforts of several crews. This was the largest number of firefighters lost in a single incident in Great Britain since seven firefighters died while fighting a fire at a warehouse in Kilbirnie Street, Glasgow in 1972.
On 28 February 2011 it was announced that three senior fire officers from the Warwickshire Fire Service would face manslaughter by gross negligence charges over the deaths.[1]
On 6 May 2011; three senior fire officers appeared in court, at the Leamington Justice Centre, to face the charges. Warwickshire County Council also faced a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act of failing to ensure the health and safety of its employees. They were all granted unconditional bail. It was agreed both cases would be dealt with in the crown court.[2]