Yobs set grassland ablaze

ARSONISTS sparked a blaze on a large grassland, prompting people across the town to contact the fire service.

Crews were alerted to a fire covering several acres of grassland between Rother View Road, Canklow, and Boston Castle, shortly before 1pm on Tuesday.

Firefighters from Rotherham, Darnall, Elm Lane and Dearne fire stations were called into to contain the flames which sent huge plumes of black smoke into the sky over the town.

A spokesman for the fire service said: “The fire covered quite a large area and firefighters worked as a large team to extinguish the flames.

“Smoke from the blaze could be seen across the town and that was reflected in the amount of calls we received to report the incident.

“Firefighters were eventually successful in extinguishing the fire and were able to leave the scene at around 5.30pm.”

The spokesman confirmed that the fire had been deliberately lit, adding: “Arson attacks have become a problem in recent weeks. It’s the school holidays and the hot weather has been a significant factor also.

“This kind of incident is a huge drain on resources.”

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