Daily Echo | In Depth | Archive of important stories affecting Southampton & Hampshire

Fire service releases full report into firefighter deaths

10:48am Monday 15th April 2013

HAMPSHIRE Fire and Rescue Service has published its findings into the deaths of two firefighters at Shirley Towers in 2010.

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Safety features must be implemented after firefighters' deaths

6:02pm Friday 22nd March 2013

THE SISTER of a firefighter who died in Southampton tower block blaze has called on civic bosses to implement recommended fire safety features across the city.

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Sprinklers should be added to high-rise towers following firefighter deaths

5:16pm Tuesday 5th February 2013

A CORONER is demanding lessons are learned from the tragic death of two hero Southampton firemen.

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Misadventure verdict on Southampton firefighter deaths

4:01pm Tuesday 10th July 2012

A JURY has found that firefighters Alan Bannon and Jim Shears died from misadventure but also identified a number of factors which led to the men's death.

• Shirley Towers Inquest - In depth
• Firefighter Deaths - In depth

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Jury considering verdicts at Shirley Towers fire inquest

1:40pm Tuesday 10th July 2012

Southampton coroner Keith Wiseman has ended his summing up of the evidence heard at the inquest of two city fireman.

'Lessons have been learnt' from Shirley towers blaze says fire chief

12:10pm Tuesday 10th July 2012

A SERIES of key safety improvements have been brought in to try to stop a repeat of the Shirley Towers fire tragedy that killed two firefighters, an inquest heard.

Southampton City Council statement on firefighter inquest

4:32pm Tuesday 10th July 2012

Southampton City Council have released a statement following the misadventure verdict into the deaths of two firefighters in the city.

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Firefighters union statement on inquest into Shirley Towers deaths

4:21pm Tuesday 10th July 2012

FBU reaction to Shirley Towers’ inquest verdict – death by misadventure, with narrative verdict Matt Wrack, FBU General Secretary said: “This has been a very difficult and painful process for the families, friends and colleagues of firefighters James Shears and Alan Bannon. Their loss is still very deeply felt by all those touched by their deaths.

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Towers blaze 'likely to lead to new rules'

2:15pm Friday 6th July 2012

New rules are likely to be introduced to stop cables falling to the floor during fires after the problems they caused during the Shirley Towers blaze, an inquest heard.

Jurors shown images of fatal fire that engulfed flat

12:02pm Thursday 5th July 2012

JURORS have seen dramatic images of the high-rise blaze that killed two Hampshire firemen suddenly escalating more than half an hour after it started.

Firefighters could have been reached 30 minutes earlier

4:40pm Tuesday 3rd July 2012

FIREFIGHTERS battling to rescue two stricken colleagues could potentially have reached them more than 30 minutes earlier if different techniques had been used to put out the fire, an inquest heard.

• Shirley Towers Inquest - In Depth
• Shirley Towers Inquest - Photo gallery

Residents just wanted to get out

11:30am Tuesday 3rd July 2012

THERE were major concerns that the blaze at Shirley Towers in which two firemen died could have turned into a repeat of a tragic tower block fire in London that killed six residents.

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Shirley Towers flat fire: The first pictures are released

2:34pm Tuesday 3rd July 2012

The first pictures have been released of the inside of the Southampton tower block flat in which two city firefighters died battling a blaze.

• Shirley Towers Inquest - In Depth
• Shirley Towers Inquest - Photo gallery

Fire officer feared repeat of London blaze at Shirley Towers

1:35pm Monday 2nd July 2012

THE officer in charge of the operation to tackle the Shirley Towers fire was worried it would become a repeat of a horror high-rise blaze in London that claimed six residents' lives.

Families fear firefighters were 'forgotten' claims barrister

12:49pm Friday 29th June 2012

THE families of two firemen who died fighting a towerblock blaze fear they were “forgotten”, their barrister has claimed during the inquest into their deaths.

Fireman tells how he found colleagues in burning flat

6:10pm Tuesday 26th June 2012

THE harrowing moment two missing firemen were finally found unconscious inside a burning Southampton flat and rescued was told to an inquest jury today.

'Bedlam' inside Shirley Towers the night firefighters died

3:01pm Friday 22nd June 2012

A FIREFIGHTER badly hurt in the terror blaze that killed two colleagues has described the "bedlam" inside the high-rise flat.

Firefighters became trapped in flat

3:22pm Wednesday 20th June 2012

FIREFIGHTERS Alan Bannon and James Shearswould have suffered an “incredibly stressful experience” as they became trapped inside Flat 72, which was engulfed in fire, a pathologist told the inquest.

Woman cries as she is quizzed over fatal fire

10:25am Wednesday 20th June 2012

A WOMAN broke down as she was quizzed about the night a blaze broke out in her home, leading to the death of two firefighters.

Shirley Towers resident used Dr Pepper drink to tackle fire

11:31am Tuesday 19th June 2012

A man tried to tackle a fire, which later killed two Hampshire firemen, by throwing a large bottle of Dr Pepper over it, an inquest heard.

• Shirley Towers inquest

Jurors retrace firefighters' final steps

6:17am Tuesday 19th June 2012

JURORS retraced the final footsteps of Alan Bannon and Jim Shears – in a flat identical to the one where their tragic deaths took place.

Firefighters among first to go inside blazing building

6:11am Tuesday 19th June 2012

The two Southampton firefighters who died in the Shirley Towers blaze were among the first to go inside the building, an inquest has heard.

Families call for answers

6:09am Tuesday 19th June 2012

THE families of Alan Bannon and Jim Shears say they want answers about the failings that occurred on the night of the Shirley Towers blaze – and measures put in place to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.

Firefighters died in "sudden massive escalation" of tower block blaze, inquest told

12:25pm Monday 18th June 2012

TWO Hampshire firefighters were caught in a "sudden massive escalation" in a blaze that claimed their lives, an inquest heard.

Fire chief tells of impact of firefighters' deaths

10:00am Monday 18th June 2012

HAMPSHIRE’S chief fire officer this morning told how the deaths of two firemen had a devastating impact that they will never forget.

Shirley Towers firefighters inquest starts today

5:00am Monday 18th June 2012

EXACTLY how two firefighters came to die while tackling a tower block blaze in Southampton will be heard in public for the first time at an inquest takes place into their deaths due to begin today.