Fire crews tackle deliberate blaze at Midhurst skatepark

Fire crews were called to the site in Carron Lane after 9pm last night following reports that a small fire had been started at the skatepark which opened at the end of March.

A spokesperson for West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (WSFRS) said: “Last night our crew at Midhurst Fire Station was mobilised by Joint Fire Control to deal with a small fire that had been started deliberately at the skate park off Carron Lane in Midhurst at 9.13pm.

“By the looks of it, a group of people had started the fire and were adding to it with small branches they had found nearby. We were able to extinguish it quickly using buckets of water. Sussex Police have been notified of the incident.

“Fortunately no-one was injured by this fire, but in such dry weather it doesn’t take very much for a small fire to very quickly get out of control and spread into something far more dangerous – risking not only damage to people’s property, but also putting lives at risk."

Sussex Police was made aware of the incident but did not attend.

With temperatures expected to reach highs of 25 degress in the area next week, the WSFRS spokesperson issued an additional warning to residents to avoid further incidents.

“Over the course of the next week the Met Office is warning that the Fire Severity Index will be sitting at ‘high’. This indicates how severe a fire would be for us to have to tackle if it were to break out.

“So please take extra care when out and about – make sure cigarettes are stubbed out before throwing them away, be very careful with BBQs, especially disposable ones, making sure they are fully extinguished and left to cool properly before disposing of them.

“And please avoid starting bonfires or makeshift campfires. Starting a fire deliberately during a dry spell of weather is not only wholly irresponsible, but highly dangerous as well."