Crews tackle spate of arson attacks

Crews were called to six incidents in the space of just four-and-a-half hours, all of which were deliberately started fires, including a climbing frame in a children’s playground and five wheelie bins.

A spokesman for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said: “Fortunately none of the fires spread to residential properties, but bin fires like this can easily spread to houses or flats, placing lives in danger. They also tie up our crews’ resources when they could be needed at a life-threatening emergency.”

Also on Monday night, firefighters in Sheffield dealt with a smoke-logged flat in Kingswood Hall, Middlewood, which began after a plastic chopping board fell onto the hob in the kitchen.

A spokesman stressed the importance of safe cooking and said that two young women escaped the ground-floor flat unharmed.