Police investigation after neighbours grab hosepipes as fire threatens homes in Stoke-on-Trent

Police have launched an arson investigation after a fire broke out off Tawney Crescent in Meir, with neighbours using hosepipes to stop the flames spreading towards their homes.

The fire broke out at around 6.55pm on Tuesday, 25 August, in an area of scrubland behind Tawney Crescent.

Neighbours tackled the blaze with hosepipes after becoming concerned that the fire could spread towards nearby properties.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service sent one appliance to the scene. Firefighters found an area of scrubland measuring approximately 10 metres by 10 metres well alight.

The fire was extinguished using a hose reel jet and, thankfully, nobody was reported injured.

However, firefighters determined that the cause of the fire was suspected to be deliberate, and the incident was subsequently passed to Staffordshire Police.

Police have now launched an arson investigation and are appealing for anyone who may have information about how the fire started to come forward.

The incident is another reminder of the dangers posed by deliberately started fires, particularly after a summer which has seen a number of significant fires across Stoke-on-Trent.

Staffordshire Police have been investigating several suspected deliberate fires across the city, including incidents at Park Hall Country Park. Two boys, aged 15 and 13, were arrested earlier this week in connection with those fires and released on bail while enquiries continue.

Anyone with information about the Tawney Crescent fire should contact Staffordshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 646 of 25 August, or report information through the force's website.