Scottish firebug alerts on rise

“Deliberate fires present a danger to life”

Fire chiefs have warned of the dangers of deliberate fires as newfigures revealed that crews dealt with more than 2,000 such incidents last autumn.

There were 207 deliberate primary fires such as house fires from October 16 to November 9 last year, a rise of 27from 2014, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said.

Over the same period there were 1,318 deliberate secondary fires which involved outdoor areas such as fields, refuse and countryside.

The S FR S warned that dealing with deliberate fires could take crews away from genuine emergencies and put lives at risk.

Assistant Chief Officer David McGown, SFRS director of prevention and protection, said the organisation will work closely with Police Scotland and Crimestoppers to identify those responsible for setting deliberate fires.

He said: “Deliberate fires present a danger to life, property and the environment.

“An emergency is very time-critical and deliberate fires have a potential to delay us.”