Crap Towns / Harlow / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Harlow?

There were 9.6 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Harlow from April 2023 to March 2026, 1.7 times the typical town's 5.7. The most common were grass, woods and crops set on fire, at 3.7. In 2025/26 it was 14.0, up from 5.4 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	5.4	5.2
2024/25	9.4	5.4
2025/26	14.0	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	3.7	1.7
Bins and rubbish set on fire	3.0	1.9
Other outdoor fires	2.9	1.5

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Waltham Cross	13.3 km	13.8
Harlow	–	9.6
Hoddesdon	8.8 km	7.4
Ware	11.4 km	5.4
Hertford	14.3 km	4.4
Cheshunt	13.0 km	4.4
Sawbridgeworth	5.2 km	4.2
Waltham Abbey	11.8 km	3.0
Bishop's Stortford	11.7 km	2.9
Loughton	13.3 km	1.8
Epping	8.2 km	1.2
The typical town	–	5.7