Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Warning after eight park blazes
FIREFIGHTERS have put out eight blazes at the Old Park in Canterbury in the last six months, prompting them to issue a warning.
The latest was were two undergrowth fires on Tuesday evening which followed a much larger 10-acre scrub blaze last Wednesday night when four engines and a water unit were called in.
While at the scene, another area of land was found alight.
Crews believe both fires at the Old Park – which stretches from the Poets Estate off Sturry Road to Littlebourne Road – were started deliberately and police have been told.
Sheridan Hudson-Peacock, the watch manager for Canterbury, said: “Grassland fires have the potential to spread at an alarming rate, much faster then a person can run.
“Thi s make s them extremely dangerous for not only members of the public but also for the firefighters sent to put them out.
“There are a number of ways in which people can help us, such as discarding cigarettes and rubbish carefully.
“But we’d also like to warn deliberate fire-setters that if they are caught, they face fines or several years in jail, even a life sentence if someone is killed as a result of their actions.”
In late August, crews put out undergrowth alight alongside one of the fairways at Canterbury Golf Club and tackled the fire from Littlebourne Road.