Alfred: he atoned partly for the result of a fire (3,4)
I believe the answer is:
red heat
'the result of a fire' is the definition.
(a fire might cause red heat)
'alfred he atoned partly' is the wordplay.
'partly' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'RED HEAT' is hidden within 'alfred he atoned'.
'for' is the link.
(Other definitions for red heat that I've seen before include "High temperature" , "Glowing temperature" , "Temperature at which something glows" , "Fieriness" .)