Fireworks Explosion Causes Death of Two, Owners Jailed for Manslaughter
In a recent judgement passed by
The owners of Festival Fireworks UK Ltd, now Alpha Fireworks Ltd., possessed an unlicensed metal container filled with fireworks, which exploded in December 2006, killing fireman
Firemen and police officers who had come to put out the fire decided to evacuate after seeing its intensity, but Wembridge and Wicker remained on site filming the entire explosion. The prosecution stated that the video footage showed the doors of the container were burst open by the force of the explosion before the camera screen went blank.
The defence however, stated that the firemen were experienced individuals and should have known when to leave the place, and therefore their death was not the fault of the owners. However, Judge Mr Justice Cooke calling the owners of the fireworks factory very negligent, stating that the owners were aware of the dangers of such possession and yet went on to keep the fireworks inside unlicensed metal containers.
Additionally, however, the judge added that fire fighters should go through adequate training to ensure that such incidents do not recur.
The owners of the factory denied the charges levied against them but were sentenced to jail and were asked to pay £30,000 as fine for violating health and safety rules.
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