Stafford fireworks blaze firm closes down
A company behind the warehouse where a fireworks tragedy took place, killing two men, has gone into liquidation, it emerged today.
Stafford Plastics Ltd, the firm behind SP Plastics, has been dissolved.
According to Companies House, the firm has gone into liquidation.
It was all but destroyed in a huge inferno that claimed the lives of two men.
And now this is all that remains of SP Plastics after the charred building was reduced to rubble.
It has emerged today that Stafford Plastics Ltd, the firm behind SP Plastics, has gone into liquidation.
Metal fencing surrounds the land where the warehouse used to stand. Piles of rubble and skips filled with debris are all that stand behind the fencing.
The company did not reopen after the major fire in October.
Weeping Cross Councillor John Francis said it was a shame the business had gone under. He said it had a good reputation in the area.
He said: "I know after the fire it never reopened at that site.
"It was a good company as well and had a good reputation locally. It hadn't been there all that long, maybe five or six years.
"It's very sad. We lost a valued member of the county council team in that fire."
Customer Stewart Staples was inside the warehouse buying fireworks when the fire broke out.
Simon Hillier was working at the business. They both died.
The blaze at SP Plastics in Tilcon Avenue, Baswich, claimed the lives of two men in October 2014.
Stewart Staples was a customer and inside at the time when the fire broke out and worker Simon Hillier also died.Mr Hillier, aged 41, from Mountside Street, Hednesford and father-of-three, Mr Staples 57 were both identified by DNA after their bodies were found in the aftermath of the blaze on Baswich Lane Industrial Estate.
Police are still investigating the cause of the blaze.
After the tragedy, the family of Mr Staples, a worker at Staffordshire County Council, said he was a devoted family man with a wife, three children and a young grandson. He lived in Bond Way, Hednesford. He worked for Staffordshire County Council Highways Department for 26 years and was also a keen golfer and Walsall FC fan.
Mr Hillier was described as a 'fantastic son and brother and a terrific dad' by his close relatives. He had been a talented kickboxer and trained youngsters at Featherstone Kickboxing Club.
Around 50 firefighters tackled the blaze at SP Plastics. Hundreds of rockets were sent exploding into the sky above the industrial unit near Stafford town centre and thick black smoke could be seen for miles.
Most of the warehouse was completely destroyed in the fire and since then has been fully demolished. After the fire, the police asked people not to use any fireworks they bought from the factory and tests were carried out.
Weeping Cross Councillor John Francis said today: "I hadn't heard that the firm had gone into liquidation. I know after the fire it never reopened at that site.
"It's a tragedy what happened there and we still don't know what caused the fire. Maybe we will never know."
