FIRE crews will increase their visibility in Barnsley’s worst-hit arson areas after figures obtained by the Chronicle revealed more than 800 deliberate grassland fires were dealt with in 2018.
The move, which is being seen as a deterrent, will be adopted by teams at Barnsley, Cudworth, Dearne and Tankersley stations as the warmer months draw in following an ‘unprecedented’ spell in the spring and summer of last year.
Although the full year’s figures show 1,065 arsons took place, a total of 877 took place on ‘grassland’, a term used to represent fields and parkland, representing a 38 per cent increase on the previous year’s reports.
Between July 30 and August 30 in 2018, 95 call-outs to deliberate grassland blazes recorded as ‘serious’ were dealt with in Barnsley - more than double when compared to the same spell in 2017.
Matt Gillatt, community safety manager, said: “Barnsley had some very serious grassland fires last summer, incidents not helped by the fact we had long spells of hot, dry weather. It’s something we saw across South Yorkshire as a whole, but fires started as a bit of fun can soon turn into something much more serious and divert crews from dealing with life-threatening situations elsewhere.”
Last year’s hotspots for fires were in Cudworth Park and Littleworth Lane’s park, Lundwood, which both had more than 20 arson attacks combined in the summer, and teenagers were held responsible.
July’s heatwave - which saw temperatures soar as high as 30C with very little rainfall - exacerbated the problem as dry grass is much easier to set on fire.
It enabled blazes to spread across hundreds of feet in a short space of time, as was witnessed at separate incidents in Dodworth last month and Monk Bretton, where homes were within metres of going up in flames.
“Grass, especially when it’s had little rain, is stood up on end and is the perfect material for a fire to spread,” Matt added. “Put a small breeze into the equation and a fire can turn into something very big in no time at all, as we saw in Dodworth. Getting access to fields has been problematic on some occasions, but parents can help by making sure they’re aware of where their children are playing and what they’re up to.”
The Chronicle understands Outwood Academy in Shafton, the main high school for children living in both villages, will be a focus for fire officers as they step up their fire advice talks in the coming weeks to avoid a repeat of last summer.
Matt said: “Officers from the town’s stations know where the worst-hit areas are and so we’ll be increasing patrols there to deter further fires.
“Grassland fires aren’t really something we experience in the colder months, but that’s not to say antisocial behaviour-related fires are non-existent through the winter as we still have many bins being set alight.
“Schools, particularly near where there’s been a spate historically, will be visited as it’s important children know just how much of an impact their behaviour can have.”
A spokesperson from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue added: “Deliberate fires across Barnsley have fallen significantly over the last ten years, although incident numbers do vary year-on-year, often as a result of factors outside of our control like the weather.
“Any small fire has the potential to spread and to become a more significant incident, and to potentially divert our resources from attending a more serious incident.
“Our fire crews and control staff saw a large increase in incidents of this type during the summer months, not just in Barnsley but the whole of South Yorkshire.
“Anyone with information about people starting fires in their area should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
