Death alert after grass fire attacks (From Penarth Times)

Death alert after grass fire attacks

FIRE chiefs fear a tragedy could happen because they are being overwhelmed by deliberate mountainside and grass fires.

They warn that they cannot be in two places at once, and are worried that while crews are battling to cope with these arson attacks they aren't available to tackle house fires or road accidents.

They have also revealed the cost of these fires - nearly £29m last year.

And the worrying thing is that this year the number of deliberate fires has soared.

During the Easter holiday, South Wales Fire Service received over 1,000 calls to attend deliberate fires on mountainsides and grass.

Between March 15 and 15 April 15 there were 4,054 grass fires, costing the taxpayers of South Wales nearly £4.5m.

Most of these fires are believed to have been started by youths on holiday from school.

During 2001/2002, the South Wales Fire Service attended over 19,000 deliberately started fires. The cost to the public has been estimated at almost £39 million.

Now the fire service has launched a major campaign to try to halt the huge rise in arson cases.

Chief Fire Officer Mr Brian Fraser said: "Not only are grass fires dangerous and illegal, more importantly they are stopping our crews from being available to attend calls such as house fires and road accidents.

"Our resources are limited and if we are up on the mountains the crews cannot be in the towns and villages where they may be needed to save a life.

Put simply we can not be in two places at once."

The message from an active and effective partnership between the Fire Service and the Police in the fight against arson in the countryside is, "yes, the fire Brigade will put the fires out, as they always have.

The police service will continue to make arrests, as they always have, but these culprits need to stop before either one of them is burnt or someone dies as a result of a fire engine not being quickly at the scene of a house fire or accident due to being delayed on a mountain.

"Parents are asked to be vigilant and ensure their children know the dangers involved in starting grass fires."

To combat this threat, South Wales Fire Service is launching an extensive arson awareness campaign designed to communicate the severe affects of arson to the communities of South Wales.

The six-week campaign will use radio, press, bus and mobile advertising to raise the awareness and warn of the dangers of arson.