Two firefighters among 3 killed in horror blaze at former RAF base as explosions heard & smoke seen for miles
TWO firefighters were among three people who died in a horror blaze at a RAF base.
Emergency services scrambled to the scene in Bicester Motion, Oxfordshire, yesterday following multiple reports of explosions, with large plumes of smoke visible for miles.
Ten fire crews desperately fought the blaze at the motoring and aviation heritage site since 6.30pm on Thursday.
Now, it has tragically been revealed that two firefighters and a member of the public died in the inferno.
Two other firefighters were left seriously injured after the shocking fire ripped through the RAF base, said Oxfordshire County Council.
Terrified residents reported seeing clouds of thick smoke fill the sky as the blaze took hold at the historic location.
Locals were told to avoid the area and urged to remain indoors and close their windows "until further notice".
One social media user posted a shocking image of plumes of dark smoke billowing from the site, claiming to have heard "multiple explosions".
A resident who lives opposite Bicester Motion, Kieran McGurk, said he heard "multiple bangs" as he saw terrifying clouds of smoke erupt in the sky.
He described: "As we walked home and got closer to the smoke it seemed to get blacker and we heard the sirens.
"Multiple fire engines and police cars went past us and as we got to the corner at the bottom of the road ash started to fall and you could see the sheer scale of what was happening.
"Loud bangs have been constantly going off and multiple helicopters are still circling the site."
Bicester Heritage, more commonly known as Bicester Motion, is home to more than 50 specialist businesses which centre around classic car restoration and engineering.
Historic England describes the iconic site as "the most complete and strongly representative example of an RAF airbase" in the country.
Molly Pipe told the BBC that the smoke could horrifically be smelt "from perhaps half a mile away".
And Sam Holland, a local councillor, described seeing the blaze "from a distance".
"There's lots of emergency vehicles," Holland said.
The councillor added concerning details about the timing of the incident: "Bicester Motion were meeting there earlier. I had spoken to someone as they were leaving. I hope there is nobody hurt or worse."
