Peterborough firefighters tackle city centre deliberate fires

29/12/2022

Several fires in Peterborough city centre kept Dogsthorpe Blue Watch very busy in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Having been called initially at around 2.30am to a fire in an alley next to a pub on Cowgate, they were then needed for six further fires around Cathedral Square, King Street and Church Street. The most significant fire was at the back of a restaurant on Cathedral Square with the fire spreading to the building, which required an extra fire engine from Stanground to extinguish it.

The crews were back at their station by around 7am after leaving the area safe with police officers.

A fire service spokesman said: “Arson is a serious crime and can have severe consequences for those that start a fire, no matter how big or how small it is. Not only this, but any fire presents significant risks for anyone around the area if it gets out of hand, as well as for the fire crews sent to tackle them.

“Our firefighters were needed for several hours last night to tackle these incidents, which meant they were unavailable to respond to other emergencies.”

A Cambridgeshire police spokesman added: “We were called at 6am today with reports of a man attempting to set fire to bins in and around Queensgate Shopping Centre and Peterborough city centre.

“Officers attended and a 55-year-old man, of no fixed address, has been arrested on suspicion of arson and remains in custody.”

Anyone with information should contact police by visiting www.cambs.police.uk to submit an online report or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.