Arson arrests for boys over woodland fire

Three boys have been arrested after a fire in woodland in Staffordshire was believed to have been started deliberately.

Crews were sent to the wildfire off Bower Lane in Etchinghill, near Rugeley, at about 16:45 BST on Thursday.

The blaze was brought under control and an investigation revealed it was started by pieces of wood being set alight and then thrown into the woods, Staffordshire Police said.

The boys, aged 12, 13 and 14, all from the Rugeley area, were arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.

"I would like to express my thanks to local residents who helped us identify the suspects and their movements early on through home CCTV," Insp Stephen Windridge said.

Fire services across the country have been tackling a number of blazes in the hot, dry weather and urged people to take care.

Staffordshire and West Midlands Fire Control said Wednesday was one of their busiest days of the year with 800 calls about incidents.

"The parched grass, official drought conditions and high temperatures massively increase the risk of fire," area commander Steve Ball said.

"These conditions really aren't going away any time soon. These are tough, tough conditions in which to fight fires."

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