Fire service plea over holidays

Firefighters in Fife have urged parents and carers to discuss fire safety with young people to prevent hundreds of needless blazes over the coming weeks.

Figures from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service revealed there were 532 deliberate primary fires involving dwellings and buildings between June 27 and August 29 2016, up 38 from 2015.

However, there were also 1,762 deliberate secondary fires throughout Scotland over the same period, with 522 of these affecting fields and countryside and 1,259 fires involving refuse – both deliberate and accidental.

With the start of the school holidays being a traditionally busy time for the fire service, assistant chief officer Dave McGown stressed that deliberately set fires are dangerous, waste time and money and keep crews away from real emergencies.

“It absolutely goes without saying that we prefer to prevent fires – not fight fires,” he noted.

“As a result, our firefighters work extremely hard to promote safety messages.

“We would ask parents and carers to help us also by discussing summer fire safety with young people. Together, we can work towards a fire-free summer.”

Mr McGown also urged anyone with information about deliberate fire-raising to contact the free and confidential Crimestoppers helpline on 0800 555 111.