Crap Towns / Bideford / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Bideford?

There were 3.0 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Bideford from April 2023 to March 2026, 47% lower than the typical town's 5.7. The most common were other outdoor fires, at 1.6. In 2025/26 it was 2.8, up from 2.1 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	2.1	5.2
2024/25	4.1	5.4
2025/26	2.8	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Other outdoor fires	1.6	1.5
Bins and rubbish set on fire	0.7	1.9
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	0.7	1.7

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Barnstaple	12.7 km	9.4
Northam	2.3 km	8.7
Ilfracombe	21.6 km	7.1
Great Torrington	8.7 km	6.9
South Molton	26.5 km	6.4
Bude	31.3 km	5.4
Okehampton	34.3 km	5.4
Fremington	7.0 km	3.2
Bideford	–	3.0
Braunton	10.7 km	2.6
Launceston	44.0 km	2.4
The typical town	–	5.7