Dismay at increase in number of deliberate fires

SENIOR Angus firefighters have promised to hold the county’s firebugs to account after a spike in the number of deliberately set fires.

A total of 13 fires were recorded in non-derelict buildings, vehicles or outdoor structures between July and September, the second quarter of the financial year, taking the annual count to 24.

That is more than three times the annual average of seven deliberately set primary fires per year at only the halfway point in the recording year.

It is also already more than the annual target of 23 fires.

There were only 10 such fires recorded in Angus in the whole of last year, according to the fire service’s latest monitoring report.

Area commander Gordon Pryde said officers would continue to take a “zero tolerance” approach.

Meanwhile, in Dundee there has also been an year-on-year increase in deliberate fires, with 18 recorded so far this year, compared to 16 in 2018-19 and 12 in 2017-18.

He said: “It absolutely goes without saying that we prefer to prevent fires – not fight fires.

“As a result, our firefighters work extremely hard to engage with the public and promote safety messages, and parents and carers can also help by making sure that children and young people are aware of the risks.

“We will work with our partners including Police Scotland to ensure that anyone found to be setting fires is held to account for their actions.

“I would also urge the public to continue to support their firefighters by reporting any fire-related antisocial behaviour because there are always people out there in need of our assistance at genuine emergencies.”