Fire service launches inquiry following fatal Aldermaston blaze

The Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) was less than 24 hours into a four-day strike when it responded to a blaze in Aldermaston following which a woman, believed to be in her 60s and named locally as Doreen Endean, died.
However, a spokeswoman for the service, Nicole Targett, stressed it was “impossible to say at this stage” whether industrial action over a dispute with central Government about pensions, was a factor.
She added that any serious fire, particularly one involving a fatality, was fully investigated and that all factors would be considered.
Ms Endean was taken to the North Hampshire Hospital in Basingstoke, but died the following day.
The RFBRS took 41 minutes to arrive at the scene in Ravenswing Park and has said that its nearest contingency appliance to Aldermaston at the time was based in south Reading.
Meanwhile, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, which received the first call at 3.04am, sent two appliances from Overton and Odiham and took 28 minutes to arrive.
Both fire services have a target response time to reach a dwelling fire of up to 10 minutes and last year RBFRS attended 96 per cent of dwelling fires within that time.
When the first 999 call was made in the early hours of Saturday morning, it was automatically transferred to the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service control room. RBFRS were informed a minute later, at 3.05am.
Spokeswomen for both services said that they were unable to find an exact location based on the first phone call, but said that a second phone call provided more details of where the fire was.
However, the resident who made the phone call contacted the Newbury Weekly News to refute that claim, saying: “The smell of burning woke me up and I went outside to see smoke billowing from the windows.
“I called 999 straight away and when I spoke to the operator I gave the address as Ravenswing Park, Winkworth Lane, Aldermaston. The operator didn’t ask for any more details and said someone would be there shortly.”
This week, the Sainsbury’s store in Tadley, where Ms Endean worked for 12 years as a customer service assistant, paid an emotional tribute to her.
A statement from store manager Jane Hartnup said: “Doreen was a loyal and trustworthy lady and was a well-loved character that will be missed very much by her colleagues and customers.
“Her stories about her life outside work and her travels to Australia to see her family were always interesting to hear and she always found the time to share her pictures with us all.
“This was a shock to all of us at Tadley and we all will take time to accept this terrible news. We would like to send our condolences to Doreen’s family at this time.”
The store also closed her checkout on Monday and laid flowers in her memory.