Three died in blaze at former RAF base after part of building ‘collapsed’
Firefighters Martyn Sadler, 38, and Jennie Logan, 30, died alongside member of the public David Chester, 57, in an incident on May 15.
The three people who died in a blaze at a former RAF base in Oxfordshire had injuries “in line with those typically caused by the collapse of part of a structure”, police have said.
Firefighters Martyn Sadler, 38, and Jennie Logan, 30, died alongside member of the public David Chester, 57, following the incident at Bicester Motion on May 15.
Thames Valley Police said post-mortem examinations have now been carried out, with preliminary findings showing that all three people died from multiple traumatic injuries.
Police are investigating the cause of the blaze and treating the deaths as unexplained.
Two other firefighters who suffered serious injuries remain in hospital in a stable condition.
Assistant chief constable Dennis Murray said: “Our thoughts remain first and foremost with the families, friends and colleagues of Jennie Logan, Martyn Sadler and Dave Chester, as well as the injured firefighters and their loved ones, following this tragic incident.
“Our initial investigations suggest that all three sustained injuries in line with those typically caused by the collapse of part of a structure.
“We will make no further comment on the post-mortems’ (examinations) preliminary findings.
“This remains an unexplained death investigation and is being led by our Major Crime Unit, who continue to work with fire investigators and the Health and Safety Executive to ascertain the cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding the sad deaths of Jennie, Martyn and Dave.
“We again extend our deepest sympathies to everyone who has been affected by this incident.”
In a statement previously released by the force, Ms Logan’s mother, father and sister Emilie paid tribute to her “bravery and fearlessness” as they described her as a “force to be reckoned with”.
“When Jennie’s pager went off, there was no stopping her,” they added.
Mr Chester, from Bicester, died after helping fire crews “without hesitation”, his family said.
“Dave was always known as the man you went to when you needed any sort of help. This is exactly what happened on Thursday evening, he saw firefighters needing assistance and helped without hesitation.”
Mr Sadler’s family said he was “born to be a firefighter”.
“Coming from a strong fire service family it was always in his blood, but it was significantly more than that with him, it was his life,” they added.
