Thank you for your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. We can confirm that Essex County Fire & Rescue Service does hold some of the information you have requested.
Please see below the answers to your request.
Questions and final response:
I am writing to request your help under the Freedom of Information act to identify the causes of fires in retail premises, as identified in incident reports or other records. I’m specifically interested in convenience stores and newsagents but I understand the way data is held is likely to make such a specific request an unfair burden on your resources as it could require manual searching and identification of premises types.
Specifically, I have concern that poor upkeep of commercial refrigerators in these premises may be a leading cause of incidents.
On this basis, please could I request the following:
• The premises name, cause of fire and date of incident for all fires in retail premises occurring between 1 July 2019 and 1 July 2020.
• Where the cause of fire is a refrigeration system, please could I receive the make and model number of the chiller, if recorded.
Please find attached an Excel spreadsheet containing data on fires in retail premises that occurred between 1 July 2019 and 1 July 2020.