Significant increase in outdoor fires

Latest statistics have shown a significant 70 per cent increase in outdoor fires in Staffordshire over the spring and summer period.

The statistics show there were 1828 outdoor fires from April to September this year compared to 1076 the same period in the previous year. The increase in outdoor fires has meant that we’ve also seen an increase in the overall number of incidents, which are up 21% compared to last year.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Michelle Hickmott, said: “We knew the last six months had been extremely busy and demanding for our firefighters and these statistics now confirm that. 

“Whilst the warm weather was welcomed by many, it also meant that fires were starting and spreading much more easily. Unfortunately, despite lots of education and warnings, we still had lots of fires start that were avoidable, either because they were accidentally started by people being careless or they were started deliberately.

“As our summer periods are becoming warmer and longer, we will continue to work hard to help people understand the risks of outdoor fires to protect our communities and our environment.

“As we move into the winter months the focus will be more on home safety, particularly in relation to how people heat their home, reminding people of the importance of fires, heaters log burners and chimneys being operated with care and serviced regularly.

“Again, a lot of fires are avoidable, so we’d urge people to just take extra care to ensure they are not putting themselves, or their family, at risk.”

We've got specific advice on how you can minimise the risk of fires happening in your home and local area on our website. To read more about it, visit Your Safety.

If you are interested in becoming an on-call firefighter, a paid role that responds to incidents in your community then visit On-call firefighter recruitment.