Local authority leaders have offered their condolences after the deaths of two firefighters and a member of the public in a fire at a business park in Oxfordshire.
Ten fire crews attended the incident at Bicester Motion on Thursday evening.
Two further firefighters also sustained serious injuries.
In a statement posted on Oxfordshire County Council’s website, Chief Fire Officer Rob MacDougall said: ‘It is with a very heavy heart that we today report the loss of two of our firefighters. Families have been informed and are being supported. Our thoughts are with them at this most difficult of times and we ask for privacy to be respected.’
Cllr Wendy Maples, chair of the Fire Services Management Committee at the Local Government Association, said: ‘I am deeply saddened to hear of the devastating loss of two firefighters and a member of the public following the fire in Bicester, Oxfordshire.
‘On behalf of the Local Government Association, I extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of those who have tragically lost their lives.’
She added that the deaths were ‘a stark reminder of the extraordinary bravery and selflessness our firefighters demonstrate every day.’
