Youths light nuisance fires near park

Firefighters have blasted a group of youths who lit three nuisance fires near a park within the space of two hours.
Fire serviceFire service
Fire service

Crews from Wigan fire station were called to a green space off Grange Road in Bryn to deal with the large mound of rubbish which was being burnt.

The teenage yobs swore at the firefighters as they tackled the blaze, which was around five metres wide and two metres tall and was concerningly close to residents’ homes.

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The crew initially visited the scene at 8pm but were back an hour later after the youths piled plastic fencing onto the bonfire and re-lit it.

They then had to return for a third time at around 10pm after being called by Greater Manchester Police (GMP), who by this time were at the scene to sort out the anti-social behaviour.

The frustrated crews are now urging residents not to light fires as it ties up resources which may be needed for real emergencies.

Crew manager Simon Connor from Wigan fire station said: “When we got there they were quite abusive and they wouldn’t listen to us.

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“The fire was so big we had to put it out and it was also very close to residential properties.

“We came back to the station and were straight back out because they had chucked a load of fencing on it. We then went back because they had lit it again and the police were there. It’s just a nuisance.

“Our message is simple: stop lighting these fires. It’s just a waste of our time and we haven’t got enough resources to be dealing with unwanted and malicious fire calls.”

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