Crap Towns / Washington / Deliberate fires

How many fires get started on purpose in Washington?

There were 39.8 deliberate fires per 10,000 people a year in Washington from April 2023 to March 2026, 7.0 times the typical town's 5.7. The most common were bins and rubbish set on fire, at 26.0. In 2025/26 it was 48.2, up from 42.4 in 2023/24.

**Over time**
Period	Here	Typical town
2023/24	42.4	5.2
2024/25	28.7	5.4
2025/26	48.2	6.4

**What was set alight**
Fire	Here	Typical town
Bins and rubbish set on fire	26.0	1.9
Grass, woods and crops set on fire	12.4	1.7
Other outdoor fires	1.4	1.5

**Nearby towns**
Town	Distance	Fires per 10,000 people a year
Jarrow	7.7 km	59.4
Boldon Colliery	6.2 km	57.6
East Boldon and West Boldon	6.8 km	48.2
Sunderland	6.8 km	47.0
Shiney Row and Penshaw	4.7 km	42.1
Washington	–	39.8
Fence Houses	6.9 km	35.9
Gateshead	5.7 km	34.7
Chester-le-Street	6.8 km	34.5
Pelton and Ouston	6.5 km	30.0
Birtley	4.1 km	28.6
The typical town	–	5.7