Police hunt serial fireraiser after 20 blazes in city

Published on Monday 23 February 2009 08:49

A SERIAL fire raiser is being hunted by police after at least 20 blazes were set across the south of Edinburgh which put buildings under threat.

Some of the fires have been started in bins, while in other cases rubbish has been piled up beside a property or in common stairs before being set alight.

Officers are investigating whether one person is behind many of the fires reported in Marchmont, St Leonard's, Pleasance and Newington.

One arrest has already been made in connection with an unrelated fire raising incident in the area.

Police said the danger of setting fires in common stairs and other public areas was "extremely serious", amid fears that they could trap people in their homes.

Residents in the areas have been warned to keep common stairs secured. They have also been advised to remove all flammable materials which could be used in a fire raising attack and report "all suspicious activity" to police.

Among the locations in south Edinburgh where blazes have been started since December are Pleasance, Howden Street, Blackwood Crescent, West Newington Place and Haddon's Court.

Jo Scott, a member of the Southside Community Council, said: "We are very concerned about what's happening. There have been a number of similar fires, with bins and rubbish set alight.

"The police have kept us informed and they are investigating the matter."

The community council has set out to police its "great concern about the threat to people's safety" since the fire raising first began, and called on the force to boost patrols to guard against further attacks.

Pc Yocksan Bell said reports of suspects "willfully and recklessly setting fires" were first made to police in December. A total of 15 were recorded during that month with another four in January, while at least one has been made in February so far.

Pc Bell said: "These incidents have occurred all across the St Leonard's policing area, including within the Marchmont and Meadows area.

"We are very keen to detect the person or persons responsible for committing these crimes. The implications of setting fires in common stairs and other public areas are extremely serious.

"If you have any information which may assist us in our ongoing enquiries in this area, please contact the police or Crimestoppers."

Cameron Rose, a councillor for the Southside, said he had been briefed about the incidents by police.

He said: "It's disappointing that people are doing this, for whatever reason. There are obvious dangers involved and I hope that the culprits are caught promptly."