Manchester Arena Inquiry: Senior fire officer ashamed of bomb response

Senior fire chief Ben Levy said he still felt shame on both a personal and organisational level

A senior fire officer has said he feels "anger, shame and total and utter embarrassment" at his service's response to the Manchester Arena bomb.

Ben Levy told the Manchester Arena Inquiry that Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) was a "laughing stock" after not helping for more than two hours after the attack.

He told the hearing that the service "should have done better".

The inquiry has heard firefighters were kept back over safety concerns.

The inquiry is looking at the circumstances surrounding the 22 May 2017 attack, which killed 22 people and injured hundreds more.

The hearing was told some firefighters were close enough to hear the bomb detonate, but instead of going to the scene, they were ordered to drive three miles in the opposite direction to a muster point at Philips Park fire station in east Manchester.

Mr Levy said he arrived at the muster point at 23:34 BST, just over an hour after the bomb exploded.

The inquiry heard firefighters there were waiting to go to the scene and were aware ambulances were already at the arena.

The officers had thrust mobile phones at Mr Levy, showing him footage on social media of people fleeing the bombing, and had demanded they be mobilised.

'Send everything'

At 23:52, the area manager called chief fire officer Peter O'Reilly, who gave him permission to move closer, but ordered crews to wait at Thompson Street Fire Station, which stands about half a mile from the arena.

Mr Levy said after arriving at Thompson Street, he saw ambulances leaving for the arena and called Mr O'Reilly again, stating that he had crews with enhanced first aid equipment and rescue stretchers stood around, but was told not to deploy.

Twenty-two people were killed in the May 2017 bombing

The inquiry was told at 00:15, Mr Levy was instructed by Mr O'Reilly to send senior firefighter Andy Berry, with three engines with 12 non-specialist firefighters to the scene, the same mobilisation as to a domestic house fire.

He said he challenged that decision "strongly, but the outcome was the same".

He said he was then "surprised" by a call from the assistant chief fire officer Geoff Harris, who was not on duty, in which he was informed he was being relieved of his post as incident commander.

The inquiry heard that when Mr Berry arrived at the scene, he relayed a message back to "send everything", but the request was refused.

GMFRS crews finally attended the arena more than two hours and 15 minutes after the first 999 calls.

The inquiry continues.

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