Three people killed in fire at Bicester Motion

Two firefighters and a member of the public have been killed following a fire at the Bicester Motion complex on Thursday night.

The site is home to a number of motorsport and automotive businesses, with many focused on the historic scene.

The McLaren Formula E squad is among those based at Bicester Motion but it has confirmed it has not been directly affected by the fire. However, it has moved its remote support to the FE team – which is in action in Tokyo this weekend – to another location.

British motorsport governing body Motorsport UK also has its headquarters at Bicester and has not been impacted either, although its office is not open on Friday, while the whole site will remain closed throughout the weekend.

In a statement, it said: “Motorsport UK is sad to learn of the passing of two firefighters and a member of the public following a major incident at Bicester Motion, the headquarters of the organisation.

“The firefighters lost their lives in the line of duty while dealing with the major incident. Furthermore, two firefighters sustained serious injuries and are currently in hospital.

“Motorsport UK mourns with the Bicester and Oxfordshire community and sends its condolences to friends and families of those affected.”

Fire crews attended the blaze, which started at 1830 BST on Thursday, and are working to understand what caused the fire.

Eyewitnesses have told the BBC that they heard a series of explosions coming from the site, which was an airfield during World War Two and a training centre, initially with Bomber Command.

A specialist business park was opened on the airfield in 2013, originally called Bicester Heritage, and it is now home to over 50 companies.