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
Question 1 - I am submitting a Freedom of Information request for the following data, specific to residential households (including apartments, houses, and other residential properties):
1. Number of House Fires in December:
The total number of house fires that fire services attended in December for each of the past five years (i.e., December 2023, December 2022, December 2021, December 2020, December 2019).
2. Number of House Fires on Christmas Day: The number of house fires that fire services attended on Christmas Day specifically for each of the past five years.
3. Causes of Fires: The primary causes cited for each of these fires, if available (e.g., electrical fires, cooking-related incidents, etc.).
Response
The information requested can be found on our Transparency site Incident Data.
Select the year required, you can then select the month.
To show the data that you request,
select: Incident Category – Fire
Fire Classification - Primary
Motive – Accidental/Deliberate if known
Main Cause – this will show the cause of the fire, if known
Ignition Source: this will show the source of ignition, if known
You can filter the data further with the remaining columns, such as Districts, any victims involved, whether there was a smoke detector in the property, what was responsible for any fire spread etc.