9:45am Monday 15th March 2010
POLICE have reassured residents that York is a safe place after arsonists started three blazes late at night in a residential part of the city.
A woman had to be taken to York Hospital as a precaution following the incident in the St Stephen’s Road area of Acomb just before 3am on Saturday.
Firefighters were originally called out to deal with a wheelie bin which had been set alight deliberately, but when they reached the area, they found two more bins on fire.
Sgt Lindsey Robson, of the York South police team, said although the incident was serious, such fires were “relatively rare occurrences in York” and the city continued to be one of the safest places in England in which to live.
She urged anyone with information about the fires to phone police on 0845 6060247 and quote reference 12100038934.
Meanwhile, in an unconnected incident, police are continuing to investigate a series of nearly 30 bin and rubbish fires in streets around Bootham Crescent and Newborough Street, Clifton, last year. On that occasion, as The Press reported at the time, hundreds of people had to be evacuated in the early hours of October 7 from an area around Upper Newborough Street in Clifton after flames from a rubbish fire spread to a gas pipe.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of starting the fires and released on bail.
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/trade_directory/