RCR staff's terrifying explosion experience

THE staff of the well respected River & Canal Rescue (RCR) had a very narrow escape as they were trapped in their building next door to the massive Stafford fireworks explosion that killed and injured its workers.

It was just after 5pm when the people at RCR were finishing for the day, with its Managing Director, Stephanie Horton just leaving her first floor office when she heard a number of nearby explosions with the building shaking.

Continued to explode

As she reached the ground floor the huge quantity of fireworks next door continued to explode with smoke pouring in, and the staff running for the main door to escape, realising it was very serious.

Sam Johnson told how he could see the ceiling coming down on them and rushed to escape through the front door, but it had been jammed in the explosions, and try as they might it would not open.

Escaped

The explosions of the fireworks were building up as more and more ignited, with smoke pouring into the building, and it was then they all rushed towards a dividing door into another building opposite the fire, and though it was locked, took it off its hinges, then into the building and luckily straight out into the open, with Sam relating running away as fast as they could, with members being treated for smoke inhalation.

The fire then spread and gutted the RCR building with all its stock and documents destroyed, with Stephanie telling:

Call-outs will be still be answered

"Although we've lost everything and our emergency lines are down, our database is up and running and call-outs will continue to be answered. Boat owners in need of assistance can contact us on 01785 785680."

The fireworks blaze, on Baswich Industrial Estate took three hours for the fire people to bring under control with 50 fire fighters attending, with the whole area now sealed off.

But two people lost their lives in the explosions and others were injured, though people in neighbouring premises all managed to escape.