FRIENDS and family of a firefighter killed in an Edinburgh blaze will get their day in court with criminal hearings, prosecutors have confirmed.

The Fire Brigades Union said yesterday it welcomed a decision by Scotland’s Crown Office to continue to press charges against the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service over the death of firefighter Ewan Williamson.

Mr Williamson, 35, died in a blaze at the capital’s Balmoral Bar on Dalry Road in 2009 while working for Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service, which has since merged into the national agency.

Scottish Fire and Rescue faces three charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act, with Mr Williamson’s family alleging that watch commander Tim Foley had been warned of a lethal backdraught prior to Mr Williamson’s death.

FBU Scottish secretary John Duffy said: “Something is clearly wrong with our legal system when it can take this length of time before Ewan’s family can understand how he died.

“Until this trial is complete, and lessons are learned, other firefighters will be at risk of a similar incident.”