Fire warning issued after series of incidents at Sutton Park

Three of the four incidents believed deliberate

West Midlands Fire Service believes three fires at Sutton Park on Saturday, which needed 50 firefighters to bring under control, were started deliberately.

Nine fire engines and two 4x4 brigade response vehicles were involved in tackling the blaze, which threatened to spread quickly due to wind conditions.

Saturday's callout was among a series of series of incidents at Sutton Park that crews have attended over the last week.

• Monday 26 June - 12 firefighters extinguished a heathland fire, close to Longmoor Pool
• Thursday 29 June - 15 firefighters worked to extinguish an area of grass and scrubland on fire, close to the Banners Gate area of the park
• Saturday 1 July - more than 50 firefighters worked with drone pilots to bring under control three separate fires
• Sunday 2 July - 21 firefighters extinguished a fire affecting gorse, heathland and grassland near the Toby Carvery on Chester Road.

Operations Commander Jason Holt said the number of fires attended by West Midlands Fire Service in the park over the past week is a concern.

He said: “Our crews have responded to and extinguished six fires in Sutton Park in just a week.

"This included a particularly serious spate of incidents on Saturday afternoon, which are believed to have been started deliberately.

"At the height of the third fire on Saturday, we had 11 appliances in attendance and around 50 firefighters.

"Such incidents place unnecessary demand on our fire control and firefighting teams, potentially diverting our crews from unavoidable emergencies.

“We pride ourselves on our five-minute attendance standard, but incidents like these threaten to stop us from reaching people in need in that time.

"These fires also put our crews, members of the public, animals and wildlife at avoidable risk, and we would urge those responsible to stop.”

Anyone with information should contact the police on 101 or via their live chat, or make an anonymous call to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.