Crap Towns / Dorchester / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Dorchester?

There were 1.7 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Dorchester from April 2023 to March 2026, 70% lower than the typical town's 5.7. The most common were grass, woods and crops set on fire, at 0.9. In 2025/26 it was 1.4, down from 2.8 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	2.8	5.2
2024/25	0.9	5.4
2025/26	1.4	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	0.9	1.7
Other outdoor fires	0.8	1.5
Bins and rubbish set on fire	0.0	1.9

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Weston	18.5 km	10.1
Yeovil	29.6 km	5.5
Corfe Mullen	30.4 km	5.3
Bridport	22.3 km	4.7
Weymouth	8.6 km	3.3
Upton	29.5 km	3.1
Wareham	23.4 km	2.3
Sherborne	27.2 km	2.3
Blandford Forum	26.0 km	2.2
Dorchester	–	1.7
Wool	14.4 km	1.7
The typical town	–	5.7