A joint police and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation is currently underway, after two firefighters were killed in an explosion at a fireworks factory on 3 December 2006. The two men died as they fought a blaze at the Festival Fireworks storage depot near Lewes in East Sussex. The fire started at around 2pm at a remote industrial estate and was discovered by members of the family-run company. Initially, 10 fire engines and crews were dispatched, but more officers were called in as the scale of the blaze became apparent. The storage buildings, which were made of concrete with reinforced steel doors, blew apart as the fire spread. The biggest explosion was around 3pm, and was so big it was heard up to 12 miles away. Nine other fire service staff, two members of the public and a police sergeant were also injured in the blast.
A HSE inspector has started the investigation, and it has been speculated that an electrical fault may have been responsible for the fire. It also needs to be established whether the licensing conditions regarding the storage of fireworks were being adhered to, and if they were, whether those provisions need to be tightened. It has since emerged that Festival Fireworks had previously been fined for improper storage of fireworks in 1999 under its previous name, Sussex Fireworks and Displays.
