Bicester Motion fire investigation costs
The fire broke out at the former aircraft hangar on May 15 last year
The ongoing investigation into the tragic Bicester Motion fire last year could cost Oxfordshire County Council an estimated £500,000, as the public has still not been told about the cause of the fire.
The fire broke out at the former aircraft hangar at the site on Buckingham Road in Bicester on May 15 last year, and 10 fire and rescue crews were sent to tackle the blaze.
Three people died in the fire, including Dave Chester, a 57-year-old father-of-two who worked at the site, along with two firefighters Martyn Sadler, 38, and Jennie Logan, 30.
Two more firefighters were seriously injured.
The cause of the fire has not been revealed, and a joint investigation by Thames Valley Police and the Health and Safety Executive has been ongoing since May.
The council confirmed they had spent £90,000 on the investigation and survey work so far, but that these costs can only be estimates at this stage.
Cabinet papers ahead of a meeting on Tuesday, (January 27) show the county council, which is responsible for fire and rescue services, is forecast to overspend £800,000 on its fire and rescue services.
In the meeting, cabinet member for finance Dan Levy said the overspend was “almost entirely related to the very tragic Bicester motion incident”.
The forecasted overspend includes £500,000 for the ongoing investigation and survey costs relating to the Bicester Motion fire, which “may increase further due to the complexity of the case”.
The money came from the council’s general balances, which is used as contingency funding for unplanned events.
Mr Levy confirmed that the costs of the investigation would be looked at the cabinet in due course.
The report adds that the remaining £300,000 overspend was due to “higher demands including the Bicester Motion fire incident”.
These funds came from the on-call firefighters’ budget.
When contacted for comment, a spokesperson for the county council said: “The Bicester Motion investigation is a complex one and needs dedicated staffing resource.
“This comes at extra cost so as to avoid impacts on the day-to-day service fire and rescue provides to the public.
“The joint investigation with HSE began soon after the incident in May 2025.
“As stated previously we are working closely with Thames Valley Police under formal information‑sharing arrangements, with the police retaining primacy at this time.
“When the investigation concludes the results will be shared.”
The council did not confirm how long the investigation was expected to take.
The Health and Safety Executive said they would not provide any details on costs, and that they had nothing further to add, when approached for comment.
Thames Valley Police was also asked about the costs of the investigation.
The county council is consulting on a number of proposals for the fire service, with the consultation closing at the end of January.