Grassland Fires, 2010-11

Statistics on grassland fire incident include data for Wales for the financial year 2010 11. The latest release updates the statistics previously released on 25 August 2010.

The key points from the latest release are:

Fires:

• The Welsh Fire and Rescue Services attended around 7,000 grassland, woodland and crop fires in 2010-11, an increase of 26 per cent on 2009-10.
• In 2010-11, the number of primary grassland, woodland and crop fires in Wales more than doubled, from 102 to 274. The number of secondary grassland fires increased by 24 per cent.
• In 2010-11 four-fifths of primary fires on grassland, woodland and crop were started deliberately.
• Around 5 in 7 grassland, woodland and crop fires occurred in the spring months April, May and March in 2010-11.
• Of the grassland, woodland and crop fires in 2010-11, 61 percent were in South Wales, 28 percent were in Mid and West Wales and 12 percent were in North Wales. Similar proportions were seen in 2009-10.

Casualties:

• There were 10 nonfatal casualties but no fatal casualties from grassland, woodland and crop fires in Wales in 2010-11.

Damage:

• In 2010-11, almost half of grassland, woodland and crop fires damaged less than 20 square metres, an increase of 12 percent compared with the previous year.
• Around a third of all grassland woodland and crop fires in 2010-11 damaged between 20 and 200 square metres, an increase of 52 percent.
• Almost a third of primary grassland, woodland and crop fires in 2010-11 damaged more than 200 square metres.

Source:

• In around half of the primary grassland, woodland and crop fires in 2010-11 the source of ignition was matches or candles.

Contact

Tel: 029 2082 6699
E-mail: stats.inclusion@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Next Update

February 2013 (provisional - to be confirmed on the Due Out Soon page)