If You Are Deliberately Starting Fires, You Are An Idiot

11th August 202611th August 2026 Francesca Lilleystone 0 Comments Arson, Fires, LFB, Trees, Wildlife min read

Let’s make this clear — if you go to a field or park and deliberately start a fire, you are an idiot. Havering has lost more than 12 hectares of land at Ingrebourne Valley due to recent fires.

The cause of these fires is being investigated, and many residents have pointed the finger at youths. Some residents have speculated that youths may be involved in starting fires, though the cause is still under investigation.

If that is what is happening, then we need to ask what on earth they are thinking.

Because these are not simply fires in an empty field.

Havering has lost wildlife.

Wildlife that had quietly made its home in these woodland areas.

Birds.

Butterflies that had returned to the area.

Endless invertebrates and other creatures that quietly lived there.

They are now gone from areas that have been destroyed by fire.

Gone because somebody may have decided that starting a fire was something to do.

Old trees have been destroyed.

Newer trees have been destroyed.

Habitats that have taken years to establish have been damaged in a matter of hours.

Havering has lost trees and wildlife that cannot simply be replaced.

And there is another group paying the price.

Our firefighters.

Our firefighters are already dealing with record levels of calls during repeated heatwaves and extremely dry conditions.

Every time another fire starts, crews have to respond.

They leave their stations, get into their fire engines and head towards the flames.

They do not know what they are going to face when they arrive.

They could be dealing with rapidly spreading fire, thick smoke, difficult terrain and extremely challenging conditions.

And they put their lives at risk every time they attend a call.

They should not have to keep doing this because someone thought deliberately starting a fire was funny.

Firefighters across Essex have been urging parents to remain alert and to look for possible signs that their children may have been involved in starting fires, including noticing if they smell of smoke or are suddenly going out with items that appear out of character.

This is not about accusing children.

It is about parents being aware and potentially stopping something before it becomes a disaster.

Because a fire that starts as something somebody thinks is ‘fun’ can spread incredibly quickly in dry conditions.

And once it spreads, it is no longer under the control of the person who started it.

More than 12 hectares at Ingrebourne Hill alone have been damaged by recent fires.

That means an enormous amount of grassland, trees and wildlife habitat has been affected.

Forestry England, which manages the 44-hectare woodland at Ingrebourne Hill, has described the scale of damage to grassland and trees as “devastating”.

Our wildlife is already under threat.

We should be protecting these habitats, not destroying them.

We should be encouraging birds and butterflies back into our green spaces, not creating fires that destroy the places where they live.

And our firefighters should be spending their time responding to genuine emergencies — not being repeatedly called out to fires that could potentially have been prevented.

So let’s say it again.

If you deliberately start a fire in a field, park or woodland, you are an idiot.

You are not just burning grass.

You could be destroying wildlife.

You could be destroying trees that have taken decades to grow.

You could be putting homes and communities at risk.

And you are putting firefighters in danger.

Havering has already lost enough.

Please don’t let us lose any more.

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