Fire chief calls for public to be vigilant after Burnley allotment blaze and seven car fires in Pendle

Shaun Walton who is Community Protection Manager for the Pennine area which includes Burnley and Pendle, appealed for local land owners and managers to only undertake prescribed burning if absolutely necessary to do so.

The plea comes after fire crews from Burnley and Nelson were called out to the blaze in Hollingreave Road at 6pm last night. A quantity of mixed waste had set alight on a number of allotments which firefighters extinguished using two main jets and one hose reel.

Dramatic footage and images of the blaze were captured on camera by several residents living close to the site.

Shaun said: "As a nation, as well as a county, we find ourselves in unprecedented times and we, like many other public sectors, are working hard to ensure we’re able to support the people of Lancashire, ensuring the safety of our communities with incident response and also doing what we can to protect the most vulnerable.

"We urge people to be vigilant when it comes to fire safety both in the home and outside.

"Tying up valuable emergency service resources could have serious consequences for other people in the community who may genuinely really need our help."

Fire crews were called out four times in the early hours of Tuesday and three times in the early hours of this morning to reports of car fires in Nelson.

Slamming the culprits as 'irresponsible' Shaun said that deliberate fires were frustrating to experience at any time but especially so now, when we everyone finds themselves adjusting to an' ever changing and challenging' situation.

He added: "The recent increase in fires thought to have been started deliberately, particularly in Burnley and Pendle, over recent days is extremely disappointing to see and sadly we know that as a service we are not alone in seeing this trend.

"The National Fire Chief’s Council has recently commented on the irresponsible behaviour of individuals that are going out and starting these fires, whether it’s controlled burning that has got out of hand or more malicious intent.

"And to those individuals who seek to aggravate an already difficult situation we ask them to think about the wider consequences of their actions. "

He added that Lancashire Fire and Rescue was continuing to work with partners investigating these fires and would encourage anyone with any information to come forward and speak to the police adding: " In the meantime, we ask that people do as required in this national emergency and stay at home."