THE number of deliberate fires across Clackmannanshire increased by 56 per cent, according to the latest local statistics from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
On Thursday, Clackmannanshire Council reviewed a six-month local performance report from SFRS for April-September 2022, which illustrated the spike.
There were 78 deliberate secondary fires reported over the period of April to September last year.
Incidents cover a wide range of fixed and mobile property types, with grassland, woodland and crops contributing to 43 incidents.
The dry weather during this period was a contributing factor.
Deliberate fires are broken down into primary and secondary categories, with the primary category recording a decrease in homes, non-domestic buildings and vehicle incidents.
However, deliberate secondary fires – which include the majority of outdoor fires including grassland, refuse and derelict buildings – increased from 50 in 2021 to 78.
The report said that April 2022 was the worst month for deliberate secondary fires as approximately 27 took place in that month alone.
Most other fire categories saw decreases, the figures found.
There were only 11 accidental house fires for the 2022 reporting period compared with 24 from the previous year.
Non-domestic building fires also decreased by 50 per cent, and non-fatal casualties across all categories were down.
Data from a six month Clackmannanshire performance report from SFRS for April-September 2022.
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