Teenage apprentice died in gas fire after bosses padlocked container door

Jarrad Swan, 18, was trapped in a container when a fire broke out

Jarrad Swan, 18, had been filling gas cylinders inside a metal container when one of them exploded, resulting in a fireball

A teenage apprentice at a gas cylinder company died when he became trapped behind a padlocked door during a fire.

Jarrad Swan, 18, had been filling gas cylinders inside a metal container when one of them exploded, resulting in a fireball.

With his main exit blocked by the flames, Mr Swan ran towards a second door, only to find it had been padlocked by his employers.

His panicked colleague Philip Wood eventually managed to find a key to open the door but it snapped in the padlock and his struggle to get it open.

Firefighters arrived at Adams Home Centre in Margate shortly afterwards and could hear banging on the other side of the door but even after they managed to break it down it took three fire crews to find Mr Swan’s body. He had died from smoke inhalation and burn injuries, the Mirror reported.

Following the incident Adams Home Centre admitted four charges under the Health and Safety Act and was fined £150,000 with £42,790 costs. Appearing at Canterbury Crown Court, Mr Swan’s boss Steve Adams was given an eight-month suspended sentenced over the incident.

Concluding, Judge Adele Williams said there had been a “catalogue of systematic failures” which led to Mr Swan’s tragic death.