Playing with fire: Almost half of all Shropshire call-outs are arson attacks
Nearly half of all fires in Shropshire are started deliberately, figures show.
Of the 1,114 blazes Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service attended in 2017/18, 456 were arson attacks.
The figures have led to warnings that arsonists are putting lives at risk, as well as using up the “precious time and resource” of fire crews.
There were 248 house fires in 2017/18 in the county, 15 of which were started deliberately.
A total of 201 cars and other motor vehicles caught fire over the same period, with 69 torched deliberately.
The majority of deliberate fires were classified as minor, also known as secondary fires. In Shropshire there were 495 minor fires, 339 of which were arson.
In the West Midlands, 4,807 of the 10,562 fires recorded were started deliberately.
Home Office figures include 868 deliberate vehicle fires and more than 500 buildings being torched.
In Staffordshire there were 1,838 deliberate fires out of 3,245 recorded.
The figures do not include the 1,475 grass fires crews had to attend last summer, 75 per cent of which were arson.
'Deeply concerned'
The Fire Brigades Union today said it is “deeply concerned” by the figures.
Executive council member Matthew Lamb told the Shropshire Star: “There is a significant number of arson attacks. Deliberately caused fires put the lives of firefighters and members of the public at risk, and use up precious time and resource.
“Despite the government calling an end to austerity, the truth is that the cuts continue to leave services overstretched and under resourced – Fire and Rescue Services can ill afford to be fighting fires which have been caused deliberately.
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“Response times in England are now five per cent slower compared to 2010 and deliberately caused fires further limits firefighters’ ability to respond to emergencies elsewhere.”
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service has warned arson attacks can devastate families like no other crime.
Shocking toll of arson attacks in Shropshire and Mid Wales
An historic house which had recently been rescued from demolition was ravaged by fire when arsonists attacked it.
Firefighters were left working through the night after the blaze at Innage Lea in Bridgnorth.
The entire roof was damaged by the flames and every room was damaged by either fire or smoke.
Michael Pead, secretary of Bridgnorth Civic Society, described the news as “desperate”.
The building had been due to be replaced by 55 apartments before a campaign by the society led Shropshire Council to reject the plans.
He added: “It is an awful shame, but sadly it is not surprising. It was the victim of an awful lot of vandalism.”
Three teenagers were sentenced for the parts they played in an arson attack on the historic building.
Telford Magistrates Court heard that Innage Lea, which was set in late 2016, had been used as a meeting place for youths and was known locally as the “crack house”.
The blaze caused £100,000 of damage to the historic property.
In court two 14-year-old boys and a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, each pleaded guilty to charges of arson.
Five fire crews from Bridgnorth, Much Wenlock, Shrewsbury and Tweedale were called out to tackle the blaze.
A gang of young people torched a truck belonging to a Telford recovery company last October.
The youths cut the locks on the site’s entrance gate.
Owner Paul Holoway said he had been left feeling intimidated and threatened.
It happened on the night of October 22.
“We’re a family-run business and I feel like I’m being threatened to leave Telford,” Paul said.
“I sometimes stay in our caravan on site. What if they’d decided to torch the caravan instead? One of us could have died.
“One of recovery trucks, which was left parked in the yard, is now completely burnt out, we’ve had many other incidents here over the past few months.”
A fire crew was sent from Wellington to deal with the blaze, using breathing apparatus, thermal cameras and a jet hose to extinguish the flames.
Firefighters battled through the night after 150 tonnes of straw was set alight near Market Drayton in October last year.
The massive straw fire happened on farmland close to the A53 at Shawbury from about 8pm on October 18.
The blaze was of such a size that crews were still trying to put it out as the sun came up the following morning.
The firefighters, who had travelled from Hodnet, Shrewsbury and Wellington, also had to work with the farmer to ensure the blaze didn’t spread to the nearby hedgerows.
Police and Shropshire Fire and Rescue later confirmed that the fire had been started on purpose.
It was an example of an arson attack in a rural area, which can have devastating consequences for farm businesses.
A carpet firm was left counting the costs after criminals set a fire on its premises in Welshpool.
Stock at Canalside Carpets in the Mid Wales town went up in smoke during the warehouse blaze in 2017.
The fire tore through the warehouse of the carpet warehouse along with an adjoining building and carpentry business.
Five crews from Welshpool, Montgomery, Llanfair Caereinion and Oswestry were called to tackle the blaze, which took several days to completely subdue.
Police also attended and warned residents nearby that they may have heard small aerosol explosions in the area.
“This isn’t fair,” said devastated worker Jacqui Gough.
“We’re a local, home-grown business, and this has cost us thousands, it’s too early to say how much but certainly thousands.”
Two employees’ vehicles, a car, a van, stock, machinery and materials including timber, plastic and vinyl were all caught up in the blaze.
Fortunately the company had a good relationship with its suppliers, meaning that the business it was scheduled to carry out in the subsequent days did not have to be cancelled because it could pick up stock directly from those companies.
Ms Gough added: “To begin with we did predict the worst because we have had stock destroyed.”
Local people also leant their support to Canalside Carpets.
The Ty Belgrave House Hotel was ripped apart by flames.
The mid Wales hotel was set ablaze on July 25, and five people needed hospital treatment.
Witnesses had reported seeing guests, including children, being rescued from a balcony as the blaze took hold.
Fire crews rescued nine adults and three children from the Aberystwyth hotel. British Red Cross volunteers have given support to those affected.
A body was found following the fire, and the building was left structurally unsafe.
Witnesses were asked to come forward and a man was eventually charged for arson.
Damion Harris, aged 31, of Llwyn On, Pwllhobi, is due to appear at Swansea Crown Court later this year in connection with the hotel fire.
The officers in the line of fire
“Deliberately set fires are dangerous; they waste time and money, and keep our crews away from real emergencies.”
That’s the message from fire services across the region, after it was revealed nearly half of all fires in Shropshire, the West Midlands and Staffordshire are started deliberately.
Of the 14,921 started across the three counties in 2017/18, 7,101 have been classed as arson.
So what is being done to help prevent such a dangerous crime?
In Shropshire, the county’s fire and rescue service attempts to tackle the arson problem through five main areas: prevention, protection, education, response and detection investigation.
The service works with police to identify people and places where anti-social behaviour needs to be reduced, while also targeting high arson risks. The service also delivers a range of programmes in schools, including educating pupils around the dangers of arson. Finally the service tries to detect patterns of anti-social behaviour leading to arson and stamp it out.
Spokesman Derek Taylor said: “Arson fires, to an extent matched by no other crime, can devastate families resulting in death or serious injury, causing a lifetime of physical, psychological and financial pain. Seeing properties and vehicles damaged by arson can often take their toll upon an area. Such scenes increase community fear of crime and add to the perception that it is unsafe and the community is in decline.”
“We have developed positive working relationships with a wide range of partners. These include Shropshire County Council, Telford and Wrekin County Council, local Town Councils, West Mercia Police, Housing Associations, the NHS and local Street Pastor groups.
“We will continue to hold regular partnership meetings to identify and discuss vulnerable people and properties under the threat of attack by fire, providing target hardening solutions to reduce risk, e.g. lockable letter boxes.”
In Staffordshire, the fire service focuses its efforts through education. It recently ran a campaign called Flames Aren’t Games, whereby youngsters could win a £50 gift card if they pledged not to start deliberate fires.
Jim Bywater, the service’s group manager, explained: “Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service devotes a great deal of its time and effort to fire safety and prevention. Fires started deliberately divert vital resources away from where they’re really needed and this could put lives at risk.
“Although we do attend arson attacks on buildings and vehicles, the most common incidents of deliberate fires are grass fires. The service experienced an unprecedented period of demand last summer through a combination of deliberate fires and an extended hot and dry spell of weather.”
The heatwave of 2018 made it all too easy for small fires to turn into big ones. The number of deliberately ignited grass fires Staffordshire Police tackled last year was more than double the previous year.
“Our firefighters were battling with grass fires for days at a time in hot and uncomfortable conditions,” Mr Bywater added. “We had to devote a large number of people and equipment to bringing them under control and it was literally all hands to the pump.
“Fortunately, nobody was injured in any of the fires which could easily have been the case.
Trapped
“Deliberate fires can result in injury to the person setting the fire, or others who may become trapped by a rapidly developing fire. People have also been killed as a result of deliberate fire setting.
“Setting a fire on purpose has a huge economic impact as well as posing a danger to people and animals. Properties and businesses can also be damaged having an effect on the local economy as well. The fires on the Staffordshire Roaches moorlands also destroyed fragile natural habitats and endangered wildlife. The simple act of starting a small fire for fun can have disastrous and far-reaching consequences.”
The brigade’s response was the to attempt to educate young people in the consequences of arson. Football clubs and other organisations were drafted in to help keep young people entertained during the summer.
“On our website we also offered the incentive of a chance to win a £50 gift card to get youngsters to sign a pledge not to set deliberate fires which garnered more than 6,000 views and nearly 300 pledges.
“Deliberately set fires are dangerous; they waste time and money, and keep our crews away from real emergencies.”
Staffordshire Police advises victims to keep a record of all events they think might be related to the arson attack, including the date and time of incidents. The force also advises people to get photographic or video evidence of the crime being carried out, but says only to do this carefully and without putting themselves at risk.
West Midlands Fire Service recorded more arson attacks than the two other counties combined in 2017/18, including a major blaze at Heartlands Furniture Wholesale Ltd in Smethwick which was only brought under control by the efforts of 40 firefighters.
The service says it uses data to spot any emerging arson trends.
Group Commander Juliet Malone, of West Midlands Fire Service’s prevention team, said: “The consequences of fires started deliberately can’t be underestimated. They’re a menace on many levels – the huge emotional cost of a life lost; the distress and disruption caused by the destruction of a home, business or vehicle; environmental pollution; financial cost.
“They also put our firefighters in danger. We mitigate the risks through our training, safe systems of work and familiarisation visits to certain premises, but there will always be dangers at any fire scene.
“Our response to such fires requires many resources, aside from the obvious emergency vehicles and crews. A fire control crew will handle the 999 call and manage the required attendance. We might also send a specialist team to investigate the cause of the fire.
“They often cause severe disruption in communities and to businesses.
“While we’re responding to these fires, we’re clearly not able to be out in our communities helping our most vulnerable people to live safely and healthily, or our businesses to be stronger.”
