Firefighters show support for arson hotline after 787 deliberate blazes in Sheffield in one year

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue dealt with a total of 3,945 arson attacks in 2020, with 787 in Sheffield, 989 in Barnsley, 1,053 in Rotherham and 1,116 in Doncaster.

In response, the fire service has now joined up with FireStoppers, which works in the same way as Crimestoppers, by allowing members of the public to anonymously report any information they have on those involved in arson attacks.

It is hoped the hotline will reduce call-outs, protect public property and keep people safe.

Group Manager Matt Gillatt, deputy head of South Yorkshire’s joint police and fire community safety team, said: “We’ve made great strides in terms of reducing house fires over the last 10 years, but nearly 4,000 deliberate fires in one year is 4,000 too many.

“We want to show people that we are taking this issue seriously and we also felt we needed to provide people a safe, anonymous route to report details of arson attacks to us.

“Other fire services across the country have successfully reduced deliberate fire setting by up to 20 percent through this service, and we’re hoping it will have a positive impact here.

“Our ask of the public is simple – if you know anything about deliberate fire-setting in your area then please report it via the FireStoppers line and help us crack down on these fires.”

Call FireStoppers on 0800 169 555 or visit www.firestoppersreport.co.uk

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