Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) has revealed that refuse fires, such as those involving wheelie bins and fly-tipped waste, now account for 48 per cent of all deliberately set secondary fires (small fires confined to outdoor locations) in the area, following a 12 per cent rise in the number of reported incidents over the past two years.

MAWWFRS said that the figure is notable, especially as the number of deliberately set fires has, in general, been declining over the past two years.

The fire service has issued the statistics to mark the beginning of its Arson Awareness Week 2015, which runs until Friday (22 May).

It is hoped that by raisings awareness of the cost and damage of waste fires, the public will be less inclined to start them.

MAWWFRS Arson Reduction Manager Steve Richards said: “Urban and rural fires can blight the environment for a long time, and refuse and wheelie bin fires clearly illustrate the point. They have a significant financial cost to the services involved as well as those whose property has been damaged or destroyed.

“If you see a refuse fire, don’t attempt to tackle this yourself. Call the fire service.”

Richards went on to highlight the health impact that wheelie bin fires can have, stating: “Wheelie bins in particular burn ferociously when water hits the molten plastic, and they can contain aerosol cans and other materials that are hazardous in fire.

“The majority of wheelie bins are made from high-density polyethylene [HDPE], which when burned release potentially deadly toxic fumes. Inhaling the fumes can starve the brain of oxygen and there are also a number of carcinogenic substances that can be breathed in, that can cause cancer.”

MAWWFRS is now urging the public to report any incidents of accumulated abandoned refuse or fly-tipped waste to the relevant council in the hopes of reducing the likelihood of it ‘becoming a target’. It is also urging businesses to protect properties from deliberate fires by installing relevant security, such as ‘good lighting and CCTV’, which can acts as a deterrent to criminal activity.

Richards concluded: “Deliberate fire setting is anti-social behaviour. It can be a precursor to arson and threaten lives. Don’t accept such behaviour in your community.

“Report and share information with your local neighbourhood policing team, neighbourhood watch, fire service arson reduction team or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Increasing amount of waste site fires

Fires involving waste are common, due in part to the combustible nature of the material and in part to deliberate fire setting (by criminals wishing to avoid the cost of responsibly waste disposal). Indeed, in the past few weeks there have been a number of waste fires reported, including one at Newport City Council’s household waste recycling centre (HWRC) in Maesglas, and another at Lancashire Fuels 4U Limited’s recycling warehouse in Saltney, which in turn followed on from five blazes at waste sites over Easter bank holiday.

Further to this, it had previously been estimated that there is an average of one fire per day at waste and recycling sites.

In an attempt to prevent fires from occurring, the Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) Forum issued new guidance last year to help waste site operators reduce fire risk.

Endorsed by the Chief Fire Officers’ Association (CFOA), and developed with input from the Environment Agency (EA), the Environmental Services Association (ESA), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Health and Safety Laboratories (HSL), and other bodies, the guidance outlines how best to safely manage the storage of materials susceptible to combustion.

The Operations Director of the CFOA, Roy Wilsher, said that the guidance was “hugely useful”.

Find out more about the problems of waste site fires or watch a video about MAWWFRS's Arson Awareness Week below.