FIRE chiefs are urging people to take extra care as temperatures soar.
It comes after Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to 24 “deliberate or avoidable” blazes yesterday (10th August) across the county.
Crews have also dealt with a number of incidents involving people getting into trouble in open water in recent weeks.
Ian Read, head of prevent, protect and partnerships at Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said:
“We saw significant demand over the weekend and we’re expecting this to continue into this week. The sunny and dry weather means we’re at real risk of a large fire occurring.
“There are currently major fires taking place in other parts of the country and we need to avoid this here in Staffordshire. Not only do these fires cause devastation, they also drain our resources meaning our response to other emergencies such as house fires and road traffic collisions can be delayed.
“We’re urging people to not to have open fires this week. We regularly attend these types of fires which have got out of control and this is something that we simply need to avoid when we expect our resources to already be stretched.
“If you want to get rid of your waste, we advise taking it to your local tip or hold onto it until a time when there is less of a risk, both in Staffordshire and nationally.
“We’re also urging people to take care around open water during the hot weather. It’s very common for people to get into extreme difficulty, because despite the warm temperatures they often don’t realise how cold the water can be and how unexpected currents can quickly take hold of you.”
