FIRE bosses in Barnsley have urged residents to be ‘extra careful’ during the hot weather after four blazes occurred in the town over the weekend.

With the temperatures rising over the weekend, firefighters across the town were busier than usual in responding to fires involving grassland, rubbish and barbecues.

Back in 2022, a ‘major incident’ was declared by South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue due to the demand across the county which saw crews from Barnsley’s stations diverted elsewhere due to ‘unprecedented’ demand.

It meant fires were prioritised in relation to risk to life and risk to property, with residents being asked to only call 999 if their life was at risk.

The service was completely overstretched, receiving more than 2,100 calls from across the county and being sent to 228 incidents.

There were scenes of sheer devastation as record-breaking 40C temperatures saw the crews sent across Barnsley, before tackling a Woodland Drive blaze which saw a number of houses engulfed in flames.

And fire bosses are keen to ensure similar incidents do not occur again.

Area manager John Billings said: “During periods of intense heat the ground becomes so dry - this means that fires are easier to start and will spread so much quicker.

“Our ask of people is, first and foremost, that they don’t burn rubbish in their garden over the coming days.

“During a heatwave these small fires can easily get out of hand.

“We’re then asking that, especially this coming weekend, people don’t take disposable BBQs out with them to parks, fields or moorland areas.

“Whilst we know most people are very responsible, the risk of wildfire is extremely high right now.

“And then last but not least, please take your litter home with you or put it in the bin.

“This one may seem random, but glass bottles in particular can magnify the sun’s rays and start fires.

“Ultimately we want people to consider the impact of their actions on not just us, but also on local wildlife.

“When you’re out in the countryside and in moorland areas, you are in their home, and what starts as a small fire can easily grow bigger and see them displaced.”

Firefighters from Cudworth station were called to an accidental blaze involving a BBQ which had spread to a garage on Pleasant View on Saturday.

They extinguished the fire and left the scene at 8.20pm.

Then, on Sunday morning, two fire crews from Barnsley and Cudworth stations attended an accidental blaze at allotments on Field Lane in Stairfoot.

On Sunday night, firefighters from Barnsley station then arrived on Yews Lane in Kendray to tackle a deliberate rubbish fire.

Crews were then called to a pile of tyres that had been torched in Grimethorpe.

As well as urging people to be careful with things like BBQs and not to have garden bonfires, the service is also asking residents to be vigilant around deliberate fire-setting.

“Lots of the incidents we attend are deliberately, which is really disappointing, but unfortunately not a huge surprise to us,” John added.

“Our final ask of the public is that if they know anyone who is intentionally setting fires - which tie up our crews and can put people at serious risk - then they report it to us.”