Counting the cost of the teen firebugs Calll-outs to deliberate blazes shoots up
Ron Moore
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lynsey.gair@trinitymirror.com 07393 762401 Fire bosses are reporting an alarming surge in ‘nuisance’ fires set by Renfrewshire schoolkids.
Shocking findings reveal the number of deliberate secondary fires, that is ‘non life-threatening’ call-outs, has shot up by almost 18 per cent.
There were 107 malicious blazes involving wheelie bins, garden sheds and the like, during the OctoberNovember 2016, compared to only 91 in the same period of the year before.
And the report to Renfrewshire Council’s Housing and Community Safety Board reveals that 71 of these fires happened after schools have finished at 3.30pm.
The report said: “The majority of these incidents (72) still occur after school hours between 3.30pm to 9.30pm, which suggests the fire setters are likely young people of school age.
“Notwithstanding this, there are also incidents (nine) occuring in the early hours of the morning all of which involved deliberate firesetting to waste bins/wheelie bins.”
Councillor Kenny MacLaren, SNP group leader in Renfrewshire, hit out at the rise in malicious blazes.
He told the Paisley Daily Express: “This is a concern where schoolchildren don’t realise the impact of setting fires to bins and the like because this is dangerous and could lead to the loss of life.
“These incidents are also a threat to the community as they drew vital firefighting resources away from real life-threatening incidents.”
Scottish Fire and Rescue bosses revealed a number of Renfrewshire streets have been identified as ‘hotspots” for deliberate fires.
Oakridge Crescent in the town’s Ferguslie Park district tops list of locations involving three or more deliberate malicious fires, with eight incidents during October and November last year.
Tannahill Crescent, in Cochrane Castle, Johnstone, is the second worst street with seven incidents reported during the same period.
While both Mosspark Square and Paisley Road in Renfrew tie for third place with five deliberate fires apiece during the same period.
The report added: “There was an increased level of deliberate secondary fires involving wheelie bins, rubbish and other small structures in the period up to bonfire night, this was higher than the same period of last year, which in part was due to the dryer spell of weather.”
However, fire bosses said keeping the community safe remains a priority and they are working with their partners in the police and Renfrewshire council, as well as visiting to schools, to get their message out that deliberate fires are dangerous.