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'Deliberate' field fire damages houses and gardens

Steve JonesYorkshire
News imageSouth Yorkshire Fire & Rescue The charred remains of a veranda ravaged by fire. Several items have been damaged by fire, including a cement mixer and a barbeque.South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue
The fire in Woodthorpe started in a field before speading to nearby gardens and houses

A fire that was started deliberately in a field has damages houses and gardens after the flames spread.

Six fire crews were called to the blaze on Harthill Road in Woodthorpe, Sheffield, just after 17:30 BST on Wednesday.

A South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said two houses were damaged by the fire, one of them "severely". No injuries were reported.

"Our thoughts are with the residents whose homes have been so badly damaged in this way," the spokesperson said.

Crews were also called to a deliberate fire on Musgrave Road, close to the site of the former Sheffield Ski Village, just before 18:15 BST.

The fire service spokesperson said it had been an "exceptionally busy period" after several suspected arson incidents in recent weeks, against a backdrop of sustained hot and dry weather.

News imageSouth Yorkshire Fire & Rescue A firefighter stood in a badly fire-damaged garden. The photo shows the ruins of what could be a shed, as well as a charred wheelbarrow and a fire-damaged children's play house.South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue
South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service said it is dealing with an "exceptionally busy period"

There have been numerous call-outs to Carbrook Ravine nature reserve and Richmond Heights in Sheffield in recent weeks to what Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust (SRWT) suspected were deliberate fires.

Crews also spent "several hours" tackling a large fire in a cornfield in Nether Haugh, near Rawmarsh in Rotherham, on Sunday.

News imageSouth Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Two firefighters stood at the door of a semi-detached property which has been badly fire damaged. The windows have shattered and the veranda in the garden is completely black from fire damage.South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue
Numerous suspected deliberate fires have been started in Sheffield in recent weeks

Last week, firefighters worked overnight to tackle a large blaze at a house on Musgrave Road.

A terrace of houses in Grenoside also sustained serious damage in July after a bonfire in a garden got out of control.

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