Latest news with #arson
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Suspected arsonist caught on CCTV amid raging wildfires
An arson suspect was caught on CCTV lighting fires in Bulgaria while deadly wildfires continue to sweep across the country and neighbouring Turkey and Greece. Firefighters were battling 160 wildfires across the Black Sea nation on Monday as much of southern Europe baked under an unabating and deadly heatwave. The footage showed a man appearing to set fire to patches of grass next to a pavement, with flames quickly spreading as he casually walks away. Authorities detained the 33-year-old and charged him with terrorism. In Bulgaria, about 90 per cent of blazes have been caused by human error and negligence, said Miroslav Rashkov, the head of the interior ministry. He added that several suspects had been arrested for arson. Meanwhile, at least 14 people have been killed in Turkey, where infernos are raging across three different regions, stoked by strong winds after days of searing heat. According to forecasts, temperatures are not expected to cool down, with 45C to 50C heat expected in the country's south-east on Tuesday. The heatwave has exacerbated forest fires – which are growing in their frequency each summer as temperatures increase and rainfall decreases – that spread rapidly in dry, windy conditions. 'We are burning up – we don't even know where to go any more,' Asmin Gezginci, 24, told AFP while returning from a park to her home in the Turkish city of Diyarbakir. In Bursa, in the country's north-west, three firefighters were killed when their vehicle crashed on Sunday, authorities said on Monday. More than 3,600 had to be evacuated around Bursa, while 19 villages had to be evacuated in the Safranbolu region in the north. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's president, said on Monday that more than 3,000 fires had broken out since the beginning of summer, some as the result of arson. In a televised address, he added that 96 per cent of the fires were caused by human activity, such as cigarette butts and picnic fires. 'Let us not forget that this is a war, a defence of our green homeland, against this insidious enemy,' Mr Erdogan told the nation. Greece also struggled to clear up after a devastating week of forest fires that ravaged homes and sparked evacuations across the country. At least 44 new wildfires broke out across the country in the past 24 hours, the fire service said on Monday, while Spanish planes were deployed to help Portuguese firefighters tackle a blaze on a remote mountain. Italy is also sweltering under the heatwave. On Sunday in Sardinia, about 140 tourists were forced to flee by boat from a beach in the south of the island when a huge wildfire broke out nearby, blocking other escape routes. In Albania, more than 900 firefighters, assisted by the army, struggled to control a wildfire before it reached the seaside city of Sarandë and other tourist resorts in the south. About 13 people have been arrested for arson-related offences in the past three days, police said.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Police cordon off home and arrest ‘arsonists' as investigations into house fire start
Arrests have been made in connection to a housefire in Ferndale and a police cordon has been set up as investigations are underway. On Sunday July 27, fire fighters were called to reports of a house fire in Protheroe Street, Ferndale around 1.24am. Several properties were evacuated, and a rest centre was set up for those affected. A spokesperson for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: 'SWFRS received a call at approximately 01:24 to reports of a domestic fire in Ferndale. 'Crews, multiple fire engines, a water bowser and specialist support units attended the scene and extinguished the fire.' It has now been confirmed that the fire was deliberately started by arsonists. Protheroe Street where investigations are ongoing (Image: NQ) A joint investigation is underway, led by South Wales Police and South Wales Fire and Rescue Service. A spokesperson for South Wales Police said: 'Early indications reveal that the fire was started deliberately. Within 30 minutes of the fire being reported a car was proactively stopped by officers from our Roads Policing Unit and three men aged 18, 19 and 23 and a 19-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life. All four remain in police custody. 'Officers continue to maintain a police cordon on Protheroe Street as our investigations continue. Emergency services, in collaboration with partner agencies, are managing the fire's impact on those effected and the wider community. To provide further assistance a rest centre has been set up by the local authority to support those displaced by the incident. 'The local residents have shown strong community spirit by rallying together to support those families effected and we would like to thank them for their understanding and co-operation during this ongoing investigation.' Police are asking that anyone with doorbell or CCTV footage from properties on Protheroe Street, Brown Street, Irfon Street, and New Street from 10pm on Sunday July 27 to 2am this morning, Monday July 28, to get in touch. They would also like to hear from anyone with dashcam footage who was on any of the streets at the highlighted time. Anyone with any information is asked to get in touch quoting reference log 2500239959.
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
Saskatoon man charged for allegedly trying to set vehicles and trees on fire
The Saskatoon Police Service headquarters can be seen in this file photo. A 47-year-old man is in custody after Saskatoon police say he allegedly attempted to set vehicles and trees on fire last Friday. At around 1:50 p.m. on July 25, police were called to Diefenbaker Drive and Worobetz Place, where witnesses reported that a man was armed with a burning stick and attempting to set passing vehicles on fire. Police say the man was then witnessed entering a nearby park and attempting to set trees on fire. He was taken into custody and is charged with resisting arrest, attempted arson, possession of an incendiary device, and breach of probation.
BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
Coxhoe house fire arson attack 'mistaken identity', Durham Police say
A family of four escaped their home which was set on fire in a case of "mistaken identity", police have Police said arsonists targeted a detached house in Doulton Court, Coxhoe, on Saturday at about 00:30 BST while a couple and their two children said two suspects had poured accelerant over the family's white Mercedes and the front door of the force said the family had been able to escape uninjured and it was now appealing for witnesses. A police spokesperson said: "This was a completely reckless arson attack, which placed an innocent family with young children at risk."We do not believe that this was a random incident, but it appears that the wrong address has been targeted and a young family has been put at serious risk."The force said the blaze had been put out by the fire service on Saturday but "considerable damage" had been done to both the Mercedes and a second car parked on the drive, as well as the property's front door. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
The Sun
7 hours ago
- The Sun
Chilling moment Turkey wildfire arson suspect fills bottles with PETROL as horror blazes kill 4 with ‘risky week' ahead
THIS is the chilling moment a man who allegedly sparked a devastating wildfire in Turkey was seen filling bottles with petrol at a gas station. CCTV footage caught the suspected arsonist suspiciously carrying bottles filled with water before emptying them and refilling them with the highly flammable substance. 8 8 8 8 The clip shows a man, now identified by authorities as Ufuk Aytekin, arriving at a gas station in his pickup truck. He is then seen getting out of his vehicle and pouring what looks like water into potted flowers. He then proceeds to the pump and fills the five-litre cans with gasoline before leaving the station. Bursa Provincial Police Department's Counter-Terrorism Branch later identified the suspect and arrested him on suspicion of starting a wildfire in the country that has been burning for days. He is now being investigated as it is alleged he sparked a fire in the village of Kışmanlar. The suspect appeared to have burns on his arms and legs, and his phone was reportedly found burned in the woods by police. Aytekin, who has a history of numerous crimes and said he was kicked out of his home by his family, confessed to starting the fire in his initial statement, CNN Turkey reports. It comes as raging wildfires continue to rip through the country. Firefighters battled blazes across Turkey on Monday as the country sweltered in a summer heatwave, with wildfires leading to at least 14 deaths in the country in the past week. Around 20 villages have been evacuated, officials said. More than 3,500 people were forced to leave their homes. Shock moment beachgoers surrounded by smoke as raging wildfires in Italian hols hotspot Temperatures had already soared to a record high of 50.5 degrees Celsius in some parts of the country. The heatwave has fueled the forest fires on the dry ground that have spread rapidly in windy conditions. Authorities warned that a "risky week" lies ahead as temperatures continue to soar beyond record levels. Firefighters tackled blazes around Bursa in the northwest on Monday, the country's fourth-largest city and a major industrial centre, for the third consecutive day. Their efforts were hampered by strong winds fanning the flames, according to Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli. The flames have scorched 7,413 acres around the city so far, according to Bozbey. At least 84 fires have been recorded nationwide over the past 24 hours, with major blazes still active in Bursa, Karabuk, Usak and Kahramanmaras. In Karabuk, wildfires raging since Tuesday have forced the evacuation of 1,839 people from 19 villages. New wildfires broke out on Turkey's Mediterranean coast on Friday, as the government declared two western provinces in the country to be "disaster zones". East of Antalya, fires broke out in Adana and Mersin on Friday. 8 8 Images showed flames and smoke billowing into the sky close to high-rise apartment buildings in Antalya, where local and foreign visitors flock during the summer months. Homes were evacuated in the city centre and the outlying district of Aksu as the fire advanced, news agency DHA reported. Firefighters struggled to extinguish the blazes before strong winds could spread the fire, which closed a major coastal road. Further along the coast, homes in the city of Manavgat were also threatened. Local residents with hoses and buckets rushed to assist firefighters as water-dropping helicopters and planes also battled the flames. Police water cannons and municipal water trucks were also enlisted in the firefighting efforts. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that the country faced "a truly great disaster" after 25,000 people got involved in the emergency effort. In a televised speech after a weekly cabinet meeting, he said 96 per cent of the fires were caused by human activity such as cigarette butts and picnic fires. There were also a few cases of sabotage, he said. 8 8
