Tower Hamlets firefighters and the London Fire Commissioner have paid tribute to two colleagues who died on the job 16 years ago.
Billy Faust, 36, and Adam Meere, 27, died fighting an intense fire at a car tyre shop in Bethnal Green on July 20, 2004.
A ‘catalogue of errors’ led to the two men being killed after they entered the basement of the three-storey building, an inquest later found.
The men, who were stationed in Whitechapel, were among 50 firefighters called to the blaze.
They were in basement when an explosion ripped through the building and their deaths of eventually led to improved training and safety procedures.
The Tower Hamlets branch of the London Fire Brigade tweeted: “We lost two firefighters from Whitechapel in a terrible fire in Bethnal Green. They will always be in our thoughts.”
London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton added: “We remember the terrible events of 2004 where we lost two of our own in a tragic fire in Bethnal Green.
“Adam Meere and Billy Faust will never be forgotten. Thoughts with all their friends, family and colleagues today and always.”
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