Cause of fire in retail premises

Reference: 

1055

Request detail: 

I’m 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 note, if you are minded to apply a section 43 Commercial Interest exemption, I would request to see the full public interest test. This should take into account the clear public interest in identifying, highlighting and hopefully preventing these incidents. It should weigh this against that there is very little commercial damage from the publication of this information – it is unlikely to harm the entity’s reputation or to reveal information that may harm their ability to compete.

Response detail: 

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request.  Please see responses below:

  • 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. – See attached spreadsheet
  • Where the cause of fire is a refrigeration system, please could I receive the make and model number of the chiller, if recorded. –

We have carried out a search of our Incident Recording System with a flag for if the source of ignition was due to a fridge / freezer system, or if the incident description included the term ‘fridge’ or ‘freezer’. There were no records found for the date range 01/07/2019 to 01/07/2020.

If you are unhappy with the way your request for information has been handled, you can complain or request an internal review of the decision. This must be done within 40 working days of receiving this response. You can do this by writing to the Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, St. Michael’s Street, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY1 2HJ or email: enquiries@shropshirefire.gov.uk

If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or complaint, you have a right to appeal to the Information Commissioner at:   

Information Commissioner's Office   

Wycliffe House   

Water Lane   

Wilmslow   

Cheshire  

SK9 5AF  

Telephone: 0303 123 1113  

Website: www.ico.gov.uk 

Information Released: 

Yes

Received: 

Wednesday, 25 November, 2020

Responded: 

Tuesday, 22 December, 2020

Topic: 

Document: