The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is appealing to the public to report any information on deliberate fire setting.
The appeal comes after firefighters at Crewe Toll fire station were called out numerous times to bin fires in the Trinity area of Edinburgh early yesterday morning (2 August).
Deliberate fires present a danger to life, property and can have a detrimental financial impact on the local economy.
David Girrity is Group Manager for Prevention and Protection in Edinburgh.
He said firefighters will support Police Scotland in highlighting the need to report fire offending – and to identify those responsible.
“SFRS has a zero tolerance approach to deliberate fire raising because it puts our communities at great risk.
“We will continue to work very closely with our police and local authority partners to ensure that those responsible are identified and dealt with accordingly.
“Deliberate fires, waste our time and resources and have the potential to delay us from reaching real emergencies – where every single minute counts.”
SFRS undertake prevention work with strong partnerships to continue to reduce the risks in our communities.
He added: “Our firefighters work extremely hard to engage with the public and promote safety messages in order to keep our communities as safe as possible.
“We would ask parents and carers to ensure that their children know about and understand the potentially tragic consequences deliberate fires can have, as well as the impact for responding emergency services.”
SFRS is urging those with information about any deliberate fires to report it straightaway.
Group Manager Girrity said: “Every deliberate fire has victims, costs – and consequences. We need our communities to work with us in helping stamp out this reckless behaviour.”
Anyone with information about deliberate fire-raising should contact the free and confidential Crimestoppers helpline on 0800 555 111.
He added: “Fire setting is an offence – don’t accept it, report it.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “These reckless acts of destruction have the potential to result in serious injury and we are carrying out inquiries to identify those responsible.
“Anyone with information is asked to come forward.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
