EVERY 74 MINUTES SOMEONE STARTS A FIRE DELIBERATELY

Shocking figure reveal what Welsh fire service is up against

SOMEONE starts a fire deliberately in Wales every 74 minutes – official statistics show. Fire departments in Wales dealt with 7,128 arson cases across the country last year, working out as one every 74 minutes.

This figure for 2015-16 is up 11%, from 6,399, compared to the previous year.

Behind these numbers there is tragedy – with two people dying and 62 people injured as a result of those blazes.

The fires were started in a range of locations, both rural and urban. Five were in Welsh schools.

The distribution of fires started was not even throughout the year. The coming of spring signalled a sharp spike, with more than a quarter of all 2015/16 fires taking place in April 2015.

Some 1,895 of the 7,218 fires were started that month, representing the most intense single month of arson Wales has experienced over the past four years.

Most of these April blazes were outdoors on grassland and in forests. There has been a lot of attention on grass fires in the South Wales Valleys in recent years.

On April 20, 2016, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service were called out to more than 10 fires throughout the afternoon.

In just one example of the chaos caused by the spring fires, around 10 hectares of grass, the equivalent of around 10 rugby fields, was alight near Porth.

Deputy chief fire officer for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service Mick Crennell called the rise unacceptable.

Mr Crennell, who is chair of the All Wales Strategic Arson Reduction Board, said: “We recognise the unacceptable increase in deliberately set fire across Wales. In 2016, through the Wales Strategic Arson Reduction Board, we developed a new strategy that refocused efforts in this area and broadened the responsibility of arson reduction activity in Wales.

“As a result of this partnership approach, we saw a significant reduction in the grass fire incidents across Wales, with a 40% reduction in 2016 compared to 2015 and most notably a 75% reduction in April 2016 compared to April 2015.

“We are committed to ensuring that we continue to see a reduction of incidents of arson and deliberately lit fires, through education, diversionary and enforcement activities.

“The partnership will re-establish its approach ahead of the 2017 Easter holidays as we strive to eliminate arson from Wales.

“By working with our partner agencies and our communities, our aim is to encourage a cultural shift across Wales so that arson is seen as socially unacceptable by all.”

Despite the recent rise in deliberate fire, the general trend across Wales over a longer period has been downwards. In 2003/04 the total was running at more than 25,000 per year and as recently as 2011/12 it was more than 10,000. This compared to just over 7,000 last year.

The large fall in arson cases in Wales since the beginning of the century can largely be explained by a huge decrease in the number of cars and other vehicles set alight.

Stuart Millington, Senior Fire Safety Manager at North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We have been working hard over recent years to combat the incidence of deliberate fire-starting, through a dedicated joint Arson Reduction Team with North Wales Police – working to a Wales Arson Reduction Strategy, which provides a clear focus for organisations and individuals working together to reduce deliberate fires across Wales.

“As a result it is very pleasing to note a consistent decline in such fires over recent years.

“Only last week we were part of a multi-agency group which launched a film highlighting the consequences of deliberate car fires in the Wrexham area, as part of a wider campaign on this issue.”