On 8 May 2019 Dr Chris Foster presented at the Woolworths Fire 40th Anniversary Conference, Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service (GMFRS), led by Mike Broadley.  Members of the UK Association of Fire Investigators, former and current Fire Service personnel and industry experts attended the CDP event.  Burgoynes was a proud sponsor of the conference.

The event commemorated the 40th anniversary of the fire at Woolworth’s Manchester store, Dr Foster, who investigated the cause and circumstances of the fire, presented a paper at the conference in which he reviewed the history of development of the store, the circumstances of the fire and his views on the possible causes of the fire.  The fire caused the deaths of 10 people (9 customers and one member of staff) and resulted in changes to regulations surrounding the use of sprinklers and the introduction of The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988.  Dr Chris Foster is pictured here (centre) with Steve Hammond (left) and Greg Rogers (right) from our Manchester office.

Please click here to read, Historic Case Review: Woolworths Manchester 1979