Fire service campaigns to tackle deliberate fires

Cleveland Fire Brigade has launched a campaign to stop deliberate fires

A fire service has launched a campaign to tackle the number of deliberate fires started during what is usually its "busiest time" of the year.

Cleveland Fire Brigade crews will visit schools and hot-spot areas to warn about the dangers of setting fires on purpose.

Prevention and protection lead Robin Turnbull said the service was expecting an increase after "a few dormant months" during the winter.

“When we reach this time of the year, this point of the year, it is by far, without question, the busiest time for us," he said.

During the same period last year, 394 secondary fires were recorded.

These are generally small outdoor fires, not involving people or property of value, of which 350 were deemed deliberate, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Hartlepool saw the highest number in the brigade area with 136, including 121 deliberate blazes.

Arson reduction strategy

Mr Turnbull said, although the service was facing its busiest time, it had seen an overall 18% reduction in deliberate serious fires and a 36% drop in deliberate "secondary" fires, compared with 2023.

However, Home Office figures show that, although the number of deliberate fires has fallen in recent months, over the last five years they have increased.

The number attended by Cleveland Fire Service has jumped from 3,656 in 2018-19 to 4,853 in 2022-23.

Head of prevention Craig Strike said there was "no doubt" deliberate fires were an "unnecessary drain" on fire and rescue services, with services in the north facing "some of the highest rates of deliberate fires in the country".

"However, as a service we introduced a new arson reduction strategy last year that has helped us see a 35% reduction in the number of deliberate fires from this time last year, and a 16% reduction on the five-year average," he said.