Parents encouraged to speak to their children following increase in deliberate fires

We are encouraging parents to talk to their children about the dangers of starting fires following a significant spike in deliberate fires recently.

Firefighters were called to Old Hall Drive, Newcastle-under-Lyme, at 7pm on Wednesday (14 May) following reports of a fire in a hedge.

Two appliances attended the scene and found a fire which had spread to garden furniture.

The fire was extinguished using two hose reel jets and thankfully, nobody was injured.

At 7.45pm on Thursday (15 May) we were called to an area of woodland off Hargreave Close, Meir Park, Stoke-on-Trent, following reports of a fire.

One appliance attended the scene and found a fire measuring around two-metres-by-two-meters.

The fire was extinguished and nobody was reported injured.

Both incidents were caused deliberately and our colleagues from Staffordshire Police are investigating.

Our recent statistics show that there were 335 outdoor fires in April. This is a 189 per cent increase on April 2024.

Of those outdoor fires, 72 per cent were believed to have been started deliberately and 59 per cent of the total were started in north Staffordshire.

Northern Service Delivery Group lead, Dave Steele, said: "The ongoing dry weather means the ground is tinder dry, so any fire will spread rapidly.

"What kids may think is just a small fire could soon develop into a large blaze that could cause devastation to land, people and property.

"This recent incident in Newcastle-under-Lyme had spread from a field to a garden and had the family not been at home at the time to alert it, it could have spread to their property.

"It is important to remember that whilst firefighters are dealing with these deliberate fires, it means that should there be another incident locally, such as a car crash or a house fire, the nearest fire crew won't be available.”

Chief Inspector for Newcastle-under-Lyme local policing team, Darren McGrath, said: "Whilst people may think that starting fires is just a bit of fun, it's actually a crime that can have serious consequences.

"It's really important for parents to have a conversation with their children so they understand both the dangers and the seriousness of these offences."

For more grass fire prevention tips, visit https://www.staffordshirefire.gov.uk/your-safety/safety-outside/grass-fire-prevention/