ANSWERS have been demanded from Essex’s fire service bosses about how quickly firefighters attended a fatal fire after concerns about “matters of profound public accountability.”reports the Local Democracy Reporter.

Sheila Jones, clerk of Elmdon, Duddenhoe End and Wenden Lofts Parish Council, died following the fire in Ickleton Road, Elmdon on February 9. The investigation found the cause of the fire was accidental, involving an electrical appliance.

Neil Gregory, Uttlesford Independents councillor for Chesterford and Wenden Lofts told Uttlesford Council’s cabinet: “These are matters of profound public accountability. The lady who tragically lost her life was the Elmdom parish clerk.

“There are already some concerns about response times by Essex Fire Service, and I would state in the last few days, I’ve attempted to get some direct answers to direct questions out of the fire service, which it has refused to answer so far.

“So I am still wondering what the response times were between the matter being called in and the first appliance being on station. I will not be letting this rest, and if I haven’t received a satisfactory response by tomorrow, I shall be taking it directly with the police and fire and crime commissioner. These are matters of profound public accountability and issues which have claimed the life of one person and left two in hospital.”

John Maran, Leader of the Conservative Group, said: “In view of the tragic event that happened in Elmdon last week, and I understand councillor Gregory is going onto the parish counci,l I wondered if it would be appropriate to him to take our condolences to anybody affected by the fire, and our thoughts are very much with them. If at all possible, you can do it yourself at some stage to give some thanks to the emergency services who attended the scene.”

A spokesman for Essex Fire Service said: “Essex County Fire and Rescue Service responded to this tragic incident as quickly as possible, with the first appliance arriving within 16 minutes of the initial call. We have provided councillor Gregory with detailed information regarding our response times and processes.

“As always, we remain committed to transparency and are happy to continue engaging with him to address any further concerns. We will also continue working with the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, as we do on all matters related to fire and rescue performance.”