The father of one of the four firefighters killed in a Warwickshire warehouse blaze yesterday described his "worst nightmare come true" - having to leave the scene of the tragedy knowing his son's body was still inside.

Paul Stephens, also a firefighter, paid tribute to his 20-year-old son Ashley and spoke of his despair at having to leave the scene of Friday night's blaze at the warehouse in Atherstone on Stour.

Mr Stephens, a commander at Alcester fire station, was a member of the third crew sent to battle the fire.

He said: "It was absolutely beyond anybody's worst nightmare to know that your son's in there, and having to come away from the incident knowing that he's still in there.

"It's difficult to explain because it's my worst nightmare come true. In the 26 years that I've been in the service to never have a problem, and then my son after two years loses his life.

"It's just absolutely so unreal and so heartbreaking."

He continued: "My son to me was an absolutely 150 per cent dedicated firefighter, a family man with Emma and George (Ashley's fiancee and three-month-old son), son and brother. Everything he did was for the right reasons and he was a fantastic, quiet, gentle, loving young man.

"He will be so greatly missed."

The bodies of Ashley Stephens and two other men - Darren Yates-Badley, 24, and John Averis, 27, were retrieved from the plant last night after a five-day search operation.

Their colleague Ian Reid, 44, was rescued from the fire on Friday but died that night in hospital.

More than 200 firefighters stood in silent respect in a guard of honour as the three other bodies were taken from the ruins of the build-ing on Tuesday night. Standard-bearers from Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service led the emotional procession.

In emotional statements released through Warwickshire County Council yesterday, relatives remembered the firefighters as family men, dedicated to the fire service.

Mr Reid's 11-year-old daughter, Sophie, said: "My dad would do anything for me and he would take me to football every weekend. He was a lovely person and would help me with my homework. I'll miss him being around all the time."

His wife, Julie, said: "Ian was very compassionate and caring about everyone, particularly those less fortunate than himself.

"He was very much a family man and he treasured his time with our 11-year-old daughter, Sophie. He coached her at football and never missed one of her matches playing for the girls' football team.

"Ian loved the fire service. He would spend so much time at the station and would take up any training opportunity that was on offer. He really got on well with everyone at the station and he knew many of his colleagues from growing up in Stratford.

"Ian will be missed so much. This is a huge loss to everyone who knew him."

The family of newlywed Mr Yates-Badley, 24, said: "Darren was a larger-than-life character and would speak to and help anyone he met. He valued his strong family bond and was closely tied to the area because of his role at the fire service here.

"He loved his role as a firefighter and had just qualified to drive appliances. He was a gym instructor, he loved karaoke and he gave up his free time to help other people.

"Darren treated everyone equally and with the same kindness. We would like to thank everyone for their tributes, which have been a great comfort. We didn't realise the impact that Darren had on other people's lives and he is our hero."

Mr Averis's elder brother, Paul, said: "John touched a lot of people in his life. My phone has not stopped ringing and none of us realised how many people his life had touched.

"Little John had a large heart and he was courageous. Just like his dad, he loved his slippers and would be straight out the door when his bleeper went, still in his slippers.

"He lived for the fire service and other people always came before himself.

"He was my little brother to everyone else and a 'big brother' to me."

Warwickshire's Chief Fire Officer, William Brown, described the men as heroes.

He said: "Our hearts and minds are with the family and friends of these local men. The impact of their loss on the community is unimaginable. The grieving has only just begun. It will take a long time for us to recover and understand what has happened."