Crap Towns / Bournemouth / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Bournemouth?

There were 5.3 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Bournemouth from April 2023 to March 2026, 7% lower than the typical town's 5.7. The most common were other outdoor fires, at 2.5. In 2025/26 it was 6.3, up from 5.3 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	5.3	5.2
2024/25	4.2	5.4
2025/26	6.3	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Other outdoor fires	2.5	1.5
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	1.7	1.7
Bins and rubbish set on fire	1.1	1.9

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Poole	5.8 km	6.8
Corfe Mullen	10.7 km	5.3
Bournemouth	–	5.3
Christchurch	9.1 km	4.5
Merley	7.9 km	4.2
Wimborne Minster	9.5 km	4.0
Ferndown	7.2 km	3.7
Upton	10.8 km	3.1
West Moors	9.4 km	2.7
Ringwood	14.1 km	2.3
Ashley Heath	10.4 km	2.0
The typical town	–	5.7