Firefighters have tackled nearly a dozen blazes in a weekend of ‘out in the open’ incidents – with some started deliberately.

From Friday evening through to the early of Monday morning, crews from BCP’s six fire stations attended eleven fires in public spaces.

Five of these incidents involved bins, and two were confirmed as arson attacks.

One witness told the Echo that she saw a group of young people throwing Beryl bikes onto a fire and then fleeing before emergency services arrived.

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At 7.08pm on Friday, June 2, a crew from Westbourne were called to a bin fire in Commercial Road in Bournemouth.

Later that evening, at 8.32pm, a Springbourne crew responded to a bin fire in Gervis Road in Bournemouth.

Then, at 9.24pm, a Westbourne crew were to bin fire in Undercliff Drive in Bournemouth.

On Saturday, June 3, at 6.01pm, reports came in of a small fire in the Winter Gardens car park in Bournemouth. A crew from Westbourne attended, and dealt with the incident before returning to the station at 6.26pm.

On the same evening, at around 6.51pm, a crew from Poole were sent to a campfire in the woodlands at Warburton Road in Poole.

At 7.25pm, firefighters from Christchurch station were called to Millhams Street North car park for a fire involving two wheelie bins.

It is reported that the bins on fire had been pushed into the nearby stream. On arrival, crews found the two wheelie bins in the stream and extinguished the fire using one hose reel jet.

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) has since confirmed this fire was started deliberately.

At 8.39pm that same evening, reports came in of a pile of grass cuttings alight in Stony Lane in Christchurch. A crew from Christchurch attended, alongside a fire engine and a small 4x4 appliance for access.

The following morning, Sunday, June 4, at around 9.35am, a crew from Christchurch were called back to grass cuttings alight in Stony Lane.

Then, at 3.43pm, the Christchurch crew returned to Millhams Street North for another fire involving rubbish on the ground floor of the Saxon Square car park.

DWFRS confirmed this fire was also started deliberately.

One resident shared photographs of a group of young teenagers in the car park who were said to be involved. 

Bournemouth Echo: Photographs taken of the teenagers in Saxon Square car parkPhotographs taken of the teenagers in Saxon Square car park (Image: Resident)

The resident told the Daily Echo: "We walked back to our car and could smell smoke and saw the large fire in the corner of the car park right by the exit.

"My partner went over to try get them away from the fire and they started to throw the Beryl bikes into it. 

"We called the fire brigade who arrived shortly after. The boys stayed there watching the fire and laughing until they heard the sirens when they then peddled off quickly on the beryl bikes."

Also on Sunday, at around 6.50pm, firefighters from Poole dealt with a small fire affecting grassland in Wimborne Road.

Then, in the early hours of Monday, June 5, a crew from Westbourne were called to a bin fire in Commercial Road in Poole.