The recent destruction of five thatched cottages in villages within five or six kilometres of each other in the English country of Cambridgeshire has again raised the spector of arson as a major fire risk. All of these fires occurred in a single night, putting at risk the lives of families and firefighters.
According to one expert source, arson has become the fastest growing crime in the UK and it is now the main cause of fire. Every week an average of 2,100 fires are confirmed or suspected to have been started deliberately. They cost the UK at least £40 million a week.
UK-based Arson Prevention Forum has asserted that arson attacks on schools in the UK continue to exact a huge cost. The latest annual statistics show that arson accounts for 45 percent of all fires in schools; for major school fires this rises to 80 percent. The annual cost is reckoned to be in the order of £80million in insured damages each year.
