VANDALS have been blamed for starting a fire which caused damage to Darfield man’s fence.
Trevor Smith, of Dartree Close, said it was fortunate that a fire started outside his house did not spread further and ‘cause real damage’.
The fire, which occurred last Friday evening, caused about £150 of damage to Trevor’s garden fence but was extinguished before it could spread.
South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said firefighters from Cudworth Fire Station were called to nearby Bly Road at 9pm last Friday to attend a grass fire, which they believe was started deliberately.
Trevor, 70, said he believed he saw the youths responsible standing nearby and watching as firefighters and police dealt with the blaze, but he only realised this after he watched back footage from the CCTV cameras installed on his house.
Trevor said: “They were teenagers of 13 to 16 years old, so people who should know better.
“They can certainly be called arsonists, we are not just talking about youngsters lighting a match, it was dangerous and had the potential to spread and cause real damage.
“Darfield has become lawless and it’s about time somebody got off their backside and realised that if kids have got nowhere to go they can end up doing things like this that could easily end up in a criminal record.”
An investigation into the fire by South Yorkshire Police is ongoing.
