Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service officials have denied union claims that a local station is "unable to properly serve" its community, and that firefighters from the nearest station did not attend a fatal fire over the weekend. Union bosses spoke out after a fire claimed the life of a 91-year-old man in Kirkby-in-Ashfield.
The fire in Greenholme Close started in the early hours of Saturday (March 19). In an official statement on the day, the fire service said firefighters from the Hucknall, Mansfield, Alfreton, Arnold, and Chesterfield fire stations responded to the call.
But in the wake of the tragic incident, the Fire Brigades Union said firefighters from the nearest fire station, in Ashfield, did not attend. On the day of the fire, Ashfield Fire Station would usually be crewed by a retailed crew, or with on-call firefighters, it's understood.
