North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is appealing to parents to monitor their children’s activities over the Easter holidays, after an increase in the number of fires caused deliberately during the Easter holiday period last year.
In 2016, the service attended 86 deliberate fires during March and April, and last year during March and April, the number had increased to 159.
Whilst the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service cannot be certain of the cause of them all, it is believed a significant number were started by children playing with matches. “We are asking parents to help by checking on their children’s plans and keeping matches and lighters somewhere that isn’t easily accessible to children.”, stated a department official.
He added, “Deliberately starting fires is against the law and even small fires can endangers lives. Fire spreads quickly and can be unpredictable.”