Police appeal after multiple deliberate fires at Park Hall Country Park

Police are appealing for information after a series of deliberate fires at Park Hall Country Park left firefighters working at the scene for almost 24 hours.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to the country park, off Hulme Road in Longton, at 12.50pm on Sunday 19 July following reports of smoke coming from the area.

Five fire appliances, a water carrier and three rangers attended and discovered a large area of grassland well alight.

Firefighters used backpacks, beaters and wildfire hoses to bring the blaze under control.

However, while crews were still dealing with the initial incident, another two fires were reported nearby.

Crews made their way to the additional fires on foot and found a large area of vegetation alight. Wildfire jets and main jets were used to extinguish the flames.

Staffordshire Police was called to the country park at around 1.20pm and assisted firefighters by putting road closures in place.

Group Manager Jordan Money, from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, confirmed that all of the fires were believed to have been started deliberately.

He said:

“The cause of all the fires at Park Hall Country Park yesterday were deemed to be deliberate. This is completely unacceptable and we are working alongside colleagues from Staffordshire Police to support an investigation into those responsible.

“Crews have been at the scene for almost 24 hours, working to dampen down and monitor hotspots.

“Deliberate fires not only strain our resources but also cause extensive damage to local landscapes and wildlife.”

Mr Money urged parents to speak to their children about the dangers and potential consequences of starting fires.

He added:

“As we have seen in this incident, fire can quickly become out of control and those responsible could end up with a criminal record.”

The fire service also highlighted the importance of using the What3words app when reporting incidents in large or difficult-to-access locations. The service said the app had been particularly useful in helping crews identify where resources were needed within the country park.

Staffordshire Police has now launched an investigation and is seeking three or four teenagers who were reportedly in the area at the time.

The teenagers were said to have been wearing balaclavas and riding electric scooters.

Inspector Rebecca Price, of the Stoke-on-Trent South local policing team, said:

“As firefighters were working to extinguish a fire, another one would be set nearby.

“This is completely unacceptable and we have launched an investigation into those responsible.

“We are aware that there were three or four teenagers in the area at the time, wearing balaclavas and riding e-scooters.

“We are keen to speak to these teenagers as part of our enquiries, and I would urge anyone who knows who they might be to contact us.”

Police are also asking residents and motorists to check any CCTV, doorbell or dashcam footage recorded in the area at the time.

Anyone with information should contact Staffordshire Police by calling 101 or using the Live Chat service on the force’s website, quoting incident 453 of 19 July.

Information can also be provided anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on
0800 555 111.