Warning over social media trend that's fuelling a huge rise in deliberate fire attacks
A disturbing social media ‘fire trend’ has been blamed for a surge in deliberate blazes across Scotland.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) statistics show crews around the country attended more than 12,000 fires that had been started intentionally in 2024/25.
Emergency chiefs have briefed a number of councils, including Fife and Angus, after a spike in incidents, suggesting the rise is being driven by ‘one-upmanship’ fuelled by social media.
Last night Scottish Conservative shadow minister for community safety Sharon Dowey said: ‘This senseless trend is completely intolerable and must stop.
‘Our brave firefighters put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe and, with their resources stretched to breaking point by SNP cuts, the last thing they need is a rise in fires started deliberately by selfish idiots.
‘A combination of educating youngsters and a zero-tolerance approach to wilful fire-raising is needed to nip this in the bud across Scotland.’
Deliberate fires in Dunfermline, Fife, soared from 124 to 181 in just 12 month with social media implicated while similar concerns have been raised Glenrothes, Angus and Ayrshire.
Labour MP Richard Baker warned the fires are ‘just one element of a much bigger picture,’ and that the ‘fire trend’ has amplified with ‘young people seeking notoriety on apps like TikTok’ adding: ‘It’s really disturbing on so many levels, not least in terms of community safety, and it’s definitely an ongoing issue.
Already stretched emergency services have been inundated with calls
‘Just recently Lochgelly’s old cinema was destroyed in a deliberate blaze, along with a phone mast serving the local area. Some locals are without a mobile signal still.’
Earlier this week, Craig Robertson, the service’s station commander for Clackmannanshire, Fife and Stirling, told a Fife Council committee: ‘It was a new one to me that certain social media platforms are getting used to encourage this behaviour.’
Police Scotland Inspector Conrad Musgrave also addressed councillors and told them: ‘A lot of fire-raising was something of particular concern to us especially with social media where people encourage each other to one up themselves which is concern we have not seen before.’
The SFRS says during the last financial year they were called to a total of 22,925 fires of which more than 55 per cent were started intentionally.
SFRS Deputy Chief Officer Andy Watt said: ‘Deliberate fire setting is not only reckless, but it can damage communities and endanger lives.
‘Our staff across Scotland work extremely hard to engage with the public to prevent these types of incidents.
‘We will keep working with our partners to prevent these unwanted incidents, but everyone has a role to play in preventing deliberate fires.’
A spokesman for Police Scotland would only say: ‘We take all reports of fire-raising seriously and work closely with a number of partners, including the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, social work and local schools.’
He urged anyone with information or concerns about deliberate fires to get in touch.
