Firefighters in West Dunbartonshire, Argyll and Bute and East Dunbartonshire tackled three deliberate blazes a day in spring shocking new figures have revealed.
In total the data shows that crews were called out to 193 incidents of deliberate fire raising between March and April last year - almost three times as many as they faced in 2018.
The fires were largely comprised of outdoor incidents impacting fields, refuse and countryside, but also included building and vehicle fires, and were labelled “shocking” by a top fire chief.
Director of Prevention and Protection at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, assistant chief officer Ross Haggart, said: “Last year, witnessed a shocking rise in deliberate fire-raising during the spring period.
“Make no mistake - fire can cause injury and death, it can be devastating to properties, businesses and the environment.
“These incidents are a needless drain on our resources and can impact on our response to genuine emergencies - where lives might very well be at risk.
“The fact that our firefighters are called to thousands of deliberately set fires each year is completely unacceptable.”
The figures come as it was revealed more than two thirds of people who died as a result of fire in Scotland in the last five years were aged over 50.
Figures also show that almost a third of all fire casualties for the same period were aged 60 or over.
The stark numbers are revealed as the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) launches a national Older People Month of Action, aimed at keeping Scotland’s most vulnerable and elderly residents safe in the home.
As part of this, firefighters are ready to offer potentially lifesaving home fire safety visits.
Between 2015 and 2019, 218 people sadly lost their lives due to often preventable fires in Scotland – 149 of whom were aged 50 or over.
And for the same period, there were a total 5,862 people who became casualties after being affected by fire or smoke – 1,600 of whom were more than 60 years old.
Now, SFRS is launching a wide-ranging appeal which will run through the month of March.
Assistant Chief Officer Ross Haggart, went on: “It is heartbreaking when a life is lost in any fire, particularly when they are often so preventable.
“It’s easy to think that fire won’t happen to you, but statistically there is potentially a house fire in Scotland every two hours. “
He added: “We have dedicated personnel across Scotland – operational firefighters, community firefighters and community safety advocates – ready to offer potentially lifesaving home fire safety visits.
“If you are 60 or over please contact us now.
“If you have a friend, relative or neighbour in this age group, talk to them about our free home fire safety visit service.”
To book a visit for you, or for someone you know call the freephone number 0800 073 1999.
