2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Joe Crossley)
New data shows Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) is called out to four deliberate fires every day, on average. Between the start of 2024 and mid-February this year, the brigade attended 1,629 blazes, which were started on purpose. See the data for your area with our interactive graphic Deliberate fires are defined as any which are started intentionally, including arson, but also cases outside that legal definition - for instance, if an individual sets light to their own property but life is not endangered.
Figures obtained by KentOnline through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request showed Swale topped the table for the most deliberate fires between January 1, 2024, and February 17 this year. KFRS was called out to 341 across the borough. Of those, 63 were in Sittingbourne , 25 on Sheppey , 22 in Faversham , and 231 in other areas of Swale.
Among those was an incident on January 26, when a sleeping family of five were woken by a firefighter knocking at their door to tell them a blaze was raging in their back garden in Unity Street in Sheerness. The crews had been on their way back from another incident in Winstanley Road, just 200 yards away, where an outbuilding was alight. Both fires were treated as suspicious.
Pregnant mum Lottie Ralph told KentOnline how she, her partner Jeyden, and three children Isabelle, aged 13, Alikai, 12, and Gabriel, 11, were all in bed when she heard a knock at the door at 4.30am. “A fireman said, ‘Do you know your garden is on fire?’”, the 33-year-old art teacher said.
“At first I didn’t believe it. I had to run out to see for myself. “We now realise how lucky we have been.
” The blaze destroyed her Vespa scooter and children’s playhouse. Another victim was pub owner Steve Bassett, who runs the Coach and Horses in Strood . He told KentOnline how “mindless” teens could have killed someone when they set his beer garden furniture alight in August.
Medway came second in the table, with 310 deliberate blazes taking place in the Towns. Mr Bassett said at the time: “Three youths turned up, clearly a bit bored and looking to cause a bit of trouble, and what probably started as something a little bit mischievous quickly got out of control.” A rattan furniture set, umbrellas and wooden furniture were destroyed, with the bill for damages reaching £4,000.
Mr Bassett added: “It could have been a lot worse and spread to houses. “We’ve just built a new barbecue and pizza oven area as well. If it had spread to that, it would have been closer to £20,000 worth of damage.
“I’m just thankful there wasn’t any life endangerment. That mindless way of thinking can really do a lot of damage and put people’s lives at risk.” No charges were brought following the fire.
One of the most high-profile blazes, and one which made national headlines, was one which took hold at the former Debenhams building in Canterbury city centre. It was one of 107 deliberate fires to take place across the district during the timeframe. It started in the derelict building in Guildhall Street on December 2, with the flames visible for miles.
Around 30 people were evacuated from their homes, and businesses in the nearby area were closed. At the height of the inferno, 50 firefighters were at the scene. Crews spent two days making the area safe.
Snow Shang, who lives in a flat in the High Street with her nine-year-old son and was among those evacuated, told KentOnline of her fear when she first noticed the fire. She said: "We smelled the smoke and I said 'something is wrong'. I told my boy to get up.
“Immediately, I heard an alarm in the hallway and could see smoke everywhere. It was really scary. “I can't believe this has happened in Canterbury High Street, the most beautiful cathedral area.
That's why we came to Canterbury." Four young people were arrested in the following days. Three teenagers are on bail until June, while another was released without charge.
From January 2024 to February this year, Kent Police have charged 45 people suspected of deliberately starting fires. It means there are around three arrests in every 100 deliberate fire cases. The police have the cases referred to them by Kent Fire and Rescue Service, whose investigators are able to determine whether a fire has been started deliberately.
Superintendent Pete Steenhuis says his officers investigate “all suspected arson attacks” based on the "evidence available”. He said: “Our officers carry out numerous lines of inquiry to identify those responsible, which can include speaking to witnesses, reviewing available video footage and gathering any forensic materials that may have been left at the scene. “People convicted of arson face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment in the most serious cases.
“Setting fire to someone else’s property is a form of anti-social behaviour that is not only incredibly dangerous but can also result in considerable financial expense and distress for victims. “I would strongly encourage anyone thinking of carrying out such a reckless act to think again or live with the consequences of being arrested, charged and sent to prison, and of potentially having someone’s death or serious injury on your conscience.” In some cases, the cause of a fire cannot be determined by KFRS due to the severity of the blaze.
This was the reason investigators gave during their probe of a fire at K Laundry Ltd in Ramsgate – a commercial laundry and linen hire specialist, which was established in 1928. There were 90 deliberate fires in the Thanet district, the seventh highest in Kent. Crews had spent more than 30 hours fighting the blaze, which started on July 23.
At its height, 12 fire engines were present. Pictures show how badly damaged the site in Northwood Road was and indicate why it was so difficult for the specialists to determine the cause. While KFRS could not tell KentOnline its methods of investigation, the area manager for operational response, Nick Scott, gave the public general advice about preventing fires getting out of control.
He said: “Simple actions will keep resources available for other incidents across the county. “Using disposable barbecues [and] disposing of them once they've cooled in a responsible way, discarding smoking materials sensibly and properly and also being responsible with bonfires can help drive down the amount of times we have to get called out. “If you do see people acting in a suspicious way, you can report that to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 and give the details across there, and then obviously that will be relayed to the police or the relevant agency to progress.
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