Crap Towns / Basingstoke / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Basingstoke?

There were 5.0 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Basingstoke from April 2023 to March 2026, 12% lower than the typical town's 5.7. The most common were other outdoor fires, at 1.9. In 2025/26 it was 7.1, up from 3.9 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	3.9	5.2
2024/25	3.8	5.4
2025/26	7.1	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Other outdoor fires	1.9	1.5
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	1.9	1.7
Bins and rubbish set on fire	1.2	1.9

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Burghfield Common	14.8 km	5.9
Basingstoke	–	5.0
Tadley	10.8 km	3.5
Oakley	5.4 km	2.3
Odiham	11.2 km	2.0
Thatcham	18.1 km	1.7
Alton	15.4 km	1.3
Hook	10.5 km	1.2
Whitchurch	16.7 km	1.1
Spencers Wood and Three Mile Cross	17.2 km	0.4
Four Marks	17.8 km	0.0
The typical town	–	5.7