Sizzling weather brings plague of grass fires

Firefighters have been at full stretch as the number of grass blazes across Staffordshire leaped by 17 per cent.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue service has revealed that the number of grass fires totalled 1,008 during 2009-10.

There are fears that the total will rise even higher this year with more than 500 across the county from April to June. Tinderbox conditions on Cannock Chase after weeks of hot weather made it a major hazard.

The dry spring was a major factor in this year's increase which saw an extra 147 fires in the year to the end of March compared with 2008-2009 when there were 861 such fires.

Chief fire officer Peter Dartford will tell a meeting of Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Authority on Monday of the high risk of grass fires for Cannock Chase and the Peak District and Moorlands areas.

During April this year alone there were 357 grass fires, including one on Cannock Chase, with 246 in May.

Last month saw 188 fires in grass and heathland in the county.

The fire service is encouraging people to take care in the countryside because for every grass fire it deals with, it means that firefighters are not available to attend other incidents, some of which could be life threatening.

Many of the grass fires are being started deliberately and others from discarded cigarettes.

With the school holidays approaching the fire head of risk reduction, Ian Sloss, is urging parents to take time to educate their children about the dangers and serious consequences associated with starting fires.

"What many young people don't realise is that grass fires can very quickly spread out of control during this dry weather," he explained.

As part of the service's summer safety campaign firefighters have been out on bikes in the hot spot areas and speaking to young people they come across.