Crap Towns / St Andrews / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in St Andrews?

There were 2.8 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in St Andrews from April 2023 to March 2026, 87% lower than the typical Scottish town's 22.3. The most common were other outdoor fires, at 1.1. In 2025/26 it was 3.1, up from 1.5 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical Scottish town
2023/24	1.5	22.6
2024/25	3.6	20.4
2025/26	3.1	19.0

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical Scottish town
Other outdoor fires	1.1	5.0
Bins and rubbish set on fire	0.9	8.2
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	0.7	6.2

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Methil	21.2 km	66.8
Dundee	18.4 km	43.1
Kirkcaldy	32.1 km	40.8
Leven	19.6 km	36.0
Glenrothes	27.6 km	33.9
Arbroath	28.7 km	14.1
Cupar	12.8 km	6.8
Carnoustie	19.4 km	5.8
North Berwick	31.5 km	3.7
St Andrews	–	2.8
Monifieth	16.6 km	2.4
The typical Scottish town	–	22.3