Thank you for your request under the Environmental Information Regulations.
We can confirm that Essex County Fire & Rescue Service (ECFRS) does hold the information you have requested.
Please see below the answer to your request. Questions and final response:
I am beginning stages of writing a book based on a Serial Arsonist that was active between the 2017 - 2020 in the Essex areas. Specifically within the areas of Waltham Abbey, Nazeing, Hoddesdon.
I’m looking for any information/Photos that are obtainable on a number of fires that are reported in which the Fire Service had to attend.
Please find below a list of all the incidents I’m looking into. There are still many questions surrounding it. But if you were able to share any reports/information related to any of them they would help significantly
Date Incident Type Location Description
04/04/2010 Vehicle Fire Mayflower Close, Nazeing Car was Burnt out after a Robbery
18/05/2017 Outdoors Fire Birchwood Industrial Estate, Nazeing Large Woodpile was set alight
23/07/2018 Outdoors Fire Gunpowder Park an area of grass land was set alight
18/06/2019 Wheelie Bin Fire Waltham Abbey, Meridian Park Estate Wheelie Bin was set alight
20/09/2019 Vehicle Fire Waltham Abbey Bradley Road Vehicle Fire
09/09/2019 Vehicle Fire Waltham Abbey Bradley Road Vehicle Fire
20/09/2019 Vehicle Fire ? Vehicle Fire
06/11/2019 Vehicle Fire Waltham Abbey Bradley Road Vehicle Fire
08/11/2019 Vehicle Fire Waltham Abbey, Greenwhich Way Vehicle Fire x2 Cars
14/11/2019 False Alarm Waltham Abbey False Alarm Phone Call - Deliberate
27/02/2020 Vehicle Fire Waltham Abbey Bradley Road Vehicle Fire
19/05/2020 Vehicle Fire Waltham Abbey Arnold Road Vehicle Fire
23/05/2020 Vehicle Fire Waltham Abbey, Greenwhich Way Vehicle Fire x2 Cars
18/06/2020 Vehicle Fire Waltham Abbey, Greenwhich Way + Bradley Road Vehicle Fire x2 Cars
01/07/2020 Vehicle Fire Spanners Garage Sedge Green Large Fire happened at Spanners Garage
09/08/2020 Vehicle Fire Waltham Abbey Vehicle Fire
15/08/2020 Vehicle Fire Waltham Abbey Bradley Road Vehicle Fire
We have looked for the above incidents, the majority of which we were able to locate, we attach a copy of the associated incident report extract that confirms Essex County Fire & Rescue Service (ECFRS) attended.
Several other incidents were in the same area, similar circumstances, we attach these extracts as well.
We have redacted any data contained within the reports that could identify a third party, we apply Environmental Information Regulations exceptions: EIR Regulation 12(3) & Regulation 13 - Personal data of third parties is exempt if disclosure would breach the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998.
We believe that providing you with the information would breach the following Data Protection principles:
Data shall be fairly and lawfully processed
Data shall be processed for limited purposes
We are applying this exception because
a) we do not have the consent of the person who is the subject of the information to disclose it to you,
b) disclosure does not meet any of the schedule 2 conditions that would make it “necessary”, and
c) disclosure of the information to you would not be connected to the purpose for which we have collected and are holding the information.
We further believe that the release of the requested information would cause unwarranted interference to the rights and freedoms and legitimate interests of the data subject(s). Such a disclosure would in our view constitute a breach of Article 8 in the Human Rights Act (the right to privacy and family life).
In such circumstances this is an absolute exception. In accordance with the Regulations, this letter acts as a refusal notice.
We hope this information is useful to you.
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Incident and other data is published on our transparency site. Incident Data (essex- fire.gov.uk)
Please note that the response and data released to you as part of this request will be published on our website http://transparency.essex-fire.gov.uk/
All requests will be anonymised and no personal information including contact details will be disclosed as part of this process.
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Thank you for your interest in Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, we hope this satisfies your request.
If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to apply for an internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date of your original email and should be sent to informationgovernance@essex-fire.gov.uk or sent to our postal address: Internal Review, Information Governance Team, Kelvedon Park, Rivenhall, Witham, Essex CM8 3HB.
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