Deliberate fires: April 2019 to March 2020

The analysis in this bulletin relates to fire incidents between April 2019 and end March 2020. It covers a period largely prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and the lockdown measures introduced on 23 March 2020.

Fires

• The Welsh Fire and Rescue Services attended a total of 6,054 deliberate fires in 2019-20. This is a decrease of 20% compared with the previous year, and is around a quarter of the number in 2001-02.
• Around a fifth of deliberate fires in 2019-20 were primary fires.
• In 2019-20, 63% of deliberate fires were in south Wales, over a quarter in mid and west Wales, and around tenth were in north Wales.

Vehicles

• In 2019-20, there were 670 primary fires started deliberately in vehicles, an increase of 6% compared with the previous year.

School fires

• In 2019-20, there were 4 deliberate fires in schools, equating to 17% of all fires in schools.

Source and hazardous materials

• Over the last 5 years, furniture and furnishings were the materials first ignited in 16% of deliberate primary fires.
• Of the dangerous substances in deliberate primary fires in total in 2015-16 to 2019-20, 79% were flammable liquids.

Casualties

• In 2019-20, there were 5 fatalities and 69 non-fatal casualties in deliberate fires.