Firefighters battling blazes on Eston Hills were tormented by youths deliberately setting fires

Firefighters battling blazes on Eston Hills were tormented by the youths deliberately setting the fires.

Likened to a game of “cat and mouse”, as fire crews put one fire out at the beauty spot, another was being maliciously started just yards away.

“It is very frustrating for us,” said David Turton, head of community safety at Cleveland Fire Brigade.

“As one fire was being put out, another was being started about 200 yards away.”

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Fire crews were called to the north side of the hills at 3.03pm yesterday following reports from “several members of the public” who had seen youngsters setting fires.

At its height, a quarter of Cleveland Fire Brigade’s engines were at the scene fighting the pockets of flames.

“There was small fires all over the place - on the hills and some being started on Flatts Lane,” said Mr Turton.

“We had a quarter (five) of the brigade’s engines up there.

“It is such a drain on resources.”

Crews left the scene as darkness fell due to safety reasons.

“We fight these fires during daylight but as soon as darkness falls, if there is no risk to life, we come down from the hills,” he said.

“The terrain can be quite dangerous in darkness so what we do is surround the area with hoses and water curtains - putting fire breaks in place to control the burning.”

The brigade has since been back to the scene to check on the situation and will continue to do so for several days.

“There are no flames now but it is smouldering away,” said Mr Turton.

“It can remain in the undergrowth for a few days and if a strong gust of wind comes along, it can easily start up again so we will be keeping an eye on it.”

“We do do a lot of preventative work and it is only a small minority of youngsters that do this,” he added.

“We will do everything we can to bring these people to justice and pass on any information to the police to help them.

“These fires cause damage to the beautiful environment and wildlife there.”

Cleveland Police has confirmed it is continuing to hunt for the arsonists and is supporting the brigade.

A force spokeswoman said: “Inquiries are continuing today after a number of deliberate fires on the Eston Hills yesterday afternoon.

“Police received calls from several members of the public reporting groups of youngsters setting fires, and from the Fire Brigade reporting the same incidents.

“Officers conducted area searches and spoke to people who had information, and this will be followed up. The national air support service also attended to support officers on the ground.

“We would like to remind children that deliberately setting fires is extremely dangerous and they are putting themselves and others at risk in doing so.

“These fires also cause damage to the natural environment which is there for everyone’s enjoyment. We would urge parents to check where their children are and what they are doing - and to speak to them about staying safe.”

A spokesperson for the force also urged parents to be proactive.

“If your child returns home smelling of smoke, or you come across potential suspects, I would urge you to ring the police,” they said.

Anyone with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.