The suspects, both aged 44, were arrested after firefighters tackled the blaze at Bawsey Country Park, near King’s Lynn, on Sunday morning. Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service sent two engines to the scene and said it took crews 20 minutes to extinguish the small fire – about four meters in size – which police said was caused by a disposable barbecue that had been “dumped” in the woods . The two men, from Boston in Lincolnshire, were initially arrested by an off-duty police officer before being arrested on suspicion of arson and criminal damage. Superintendent Nathan Clarke, of Norfolk Police, thanked members of the public who tried to put out the fire before firefighters arrived. He said: “As we have seen recently, the effects of extreme heat and wildfires can be devastating. “Both men will be questioned and we have spoken to witnesses to establish the circumstances surrounding this incident.” Firefighters across England are battling blazes during one of the hottest weekends of the year so far, in a period of prolonged hot and dry weather that has resulted in eight regions of England declaring drought. Many of these fires have been caused by disposable barbecues. All major UK supermarkets – Aldi, Co-op, Lidl, Morrisons, M&S, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose – have stopped selling disposable barbecues during the recent spell of unusually dry weather, which has led to drought in parts of England. Tony White, head of prevention at Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service, said disposable barbecues should only be used in non-flammable areas, as dry grasslands and woodlands can catch fire which spreads easily. “Deliberately started fires can destroy property and take lives,” Mr White said. “We all need to stay alert and stay safe in this heat, never throw away cigarettes carelessly, leave bottles or glasses out in the open and don’t use barbecues in fields, open fields, parks and forests and only light a barbecue when is safely located on solid, non-flammable surfaces such as patios.’ In the current hot dry conditions, the Met Office Fire Severity Index (FSI), an estimate of how serious a fire could become if it started, was very high for most of England and Wales. It was expected to reach its highest level – “excellent” – by the weekend, when the Norfolk forest fire broke out among others. Last month, the London Fire Brigade joined calls for a total ban on disposable barbecues. Meanwhile, a petition on the UK government’s website calling on ministers to impose a national ban on disposable barbecues has so far garnered almost 25,000 signatures.
