News reports say Dwayne Bell, who was 17 when he was injured at a Wigan steel yard in March 2021, has received a negotiated six-figure compensation settlement. The coverage describes severe burns after an incident involving a metal rubbish bin and paint thinner. It does not disclose the settlement amount or establish a court award or official finding of liability.
What happened to Dwayne Bell?
Brit Brief reported on 2 October 2026 that Bell was an apprentice at Qualfab Steel Ltd when he was injured at the company’s steel yard in Wigan, Greater Manchester, in March 2021. According to that report, he was burning rubbish in a metal bin. Wet wood failed to catch, and he used paint thinner without seeing sparks beneath it. This is a news account, not an official incident investigation. Brit Brief’s report
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The phrase “human fireball” is a headline description of the incident, not a technical finding about how it occurred. AOL’s SWNS-supplied report quotes Bell describing the moment: “The next thing I knew, the world just turned orange. The sound was like a jet engine.” AOL’s report
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What injuries did the apprentice suffer?
Brit Brief reported that Bell suffered third-degree burns, spent a week in an induced coma and three weeks in hospital, and later underwent three skin grafts. The report said he may need further surgery. AOL’s SWNS-supplied coverage also describes severe burns and a week in an induced coma. These are details reported by the outlets; the articles do not include medical records.
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How much compensation did he receive?
The reports describe a negotiated six-figure settlement handled by Express Solicitors, but do not give an exact amount. They do not present a court judgment or settlement document, so it should not be described as damages awarded by a court.
Neil Sagar, identified by Brit Brief as a senior associate at Express Solicitors, said Bell’s injuries and scars continue to affect him. Sagar also said: “Businesses need to make sure appropriate supervision and training are given to apprentices, especially when working with dangerous disposal methods.”
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What did Bell say about training and supervision?
AOL’s SWNS-supplied report says Bell attended Knowsley Tech College one day a week and spent the rest of the week at the yard. It attributes to Bell the account that he had not received meaningful training about the dangers of the task or been given safety goggles. Bell also said: “This shouldn’t have happened. I wasn’t supervised, and no trainee should ever be put in that position.”
Those statements are Bell’s reported account. The available coverage does not include an official regulator finding, a court decision on liability, or a response from Qualfab Steel Ltd. It therefore does not establish an official conclusion about the employer’s conduct or the cause of the accident.
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