Fire warning – Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (NYFRS) is urging people in York to help reduce deliberate fires and fire-related anti-social behaviour.
The message comes during Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week, which runs from 29 June to 5 July 2026.
In the last six months crews have attended over one hundred fires that are believed to be deliberate around the city. Areas include Tang Hall, The Clifton Backies and St Nicks Nature Reserve and Environment Centre.
Operation FireSafe was launched in March last year to tackle deliberate fire-setting and other anti-social behaviour.
This multi-agency activity continues with the fire service working closely with local partners including North Yorkshire Police Neighbourhood Policing Team.
As the school holidays approach, parents and carers are encouraged to check in on their children’s plans and warn of the dangerous consequences of fire.
Deliberately starting fires is against the law, and even small fires can put lives, homes and communities at risk. It also diverts our crews away from other incidents. Fires can spread quickly and behave unpredictably.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Prevention Team have been delivering FireSafe interventions with individuals who have been involved with deliberate fires and have been working closely with local schools to raise awareness of the dangers and consequences of fire-setting.
They have also been working with local primary schools to raise awareness of the dangers and consequences of fire-setting.
The Service remains committed to keeping communities safe and will continue working with North Yorkshire Police and partner agencies to address deliberate fires and anti-social behaviour wherever concerns arise.
North Yorkshire Police Acting Sergeant, Ben Ambler said: “Fire crews and Police units have been deployed to a number of deliberate fires across the City throughout the year, placing significant demand on resources. Starting a deliberate fire is extremely dangerous and it can endanger lives, destroy property and have devastating consequences for individuals, families and the wider community.
What may seem like a small fire, can quickly escalate and spread unpredictably, putting nearby homes, open spaces and responding emergency services at serious risk. Deliberate fire-setting is a criminal offence, and we will continue to work closely with our partners to identify those responsible and take robust action.”
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service Watch Manager, Sy Wray said:
“Intentionally starting fires of this nature is against the law, and even a small fire can endanger lives, and have serious repercussions for the future in terms of employment prospects for individuals who have historical involvement with anti-social fire setting.”
“Fire spreads quickly and can be unpredictable. By working with partners, we aim to educate children and young adults about the dangers of fire, and for them to understand the potential wider consequences of their actions before somebody suffers serious harm either as a direct, or in-direct result of these incidents.”
“We are appealing to those who have parental responsibilities to explain the hazards, risks and devastating consequences setting fires can have.”
If anyone is worried about a young person playing with fire they can complete a FireSafe referral on our website. We also offer a free online home fire safety check which will help you spot fire risks in your home and offer tips and advice on how to reduce them. Depending on your answers we may ask if we can come to your property and complete a home fire safety visit. This is a free service offered by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.
Always report acts of deliberate fire-setting in your community; you can do this directly to the Police by calling 999 or 101.
NYFRS is officially a Fire Stoppers partner. It’s a national initiative powered by the independent charity Crimestoppers. It provides a 100% anonymous way for the public to report information about:
- deliberate fire‑setting and arson
- attacks on firefighters
- fire safety concerns
- hoarding risks
- fly‑tipping
All identifying information such as phone numbers and IP addresses is removed before reports are shared with relevant fire & rescue services. This ensures that the person providing information remains completely anonymous. You can call Fire-Stoppers on 0800 169 5558, scanning the QR code shown below, or by visiting their website firestoppersreport.co.uk
Speaking up really can help keep you and your community safe, and you will stay 100% anonymous.
ENDS
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More information about the Firesafe programme for young people.
Also, if you are a parent/guardian/teacher or community safety practitioner, please visit StayWise.
Staywise is a free, National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC)-led online library providing safety-focused educational resources for children aged 3–18. It brings together materials from UK emergency services (fire, police, ambulance, coastguard) to teach essential skills in fire, water, road, and personal safety.
ASB Awareness Week 2026 runs from 29 June to 5 July, focusing on raising awareness of anti-social behaviour and supporting safer communities across the UK. It is a national campaign organised by Resolve ASB Awareness Week – Resolve – Antisocial Behaviour.
Photo and interview opportunity
Photo and interview opportunity with our Prevention Team and NYP Neighbourhood policing Tuesday 30th June 13:00 at Scarcroft Road in York.
The teams will be walking around ‘hotspots’ for small fires and highlighting risks and how people can stay safe.
Please confirm you are attending via email: media@northyorksfire.gov.uk
