ARSONISTS have been blamed for 50 out of 85 fires in Dorset in just one night and fire chiefs warn someone could have been killed.

Resources in the county were stretched on Wednesday night as petty acts of arson meant crews from Poole, Redhill and Westborne were pushed to the limit.

Between 6pm and 9am yobs set fire to bins, bushes, heathland, 'for sale' signs and cars.

One resident in Turbary Common was treated for smoke inhalation after he tried to tackle a heath fire which covered 100 square metres after being started deliberately at around half past midnight.

Alun Morgan, assistant divisional officer for Dorset Fire and Rescue, said: "It was an awful night. We were lucky there were no house fires or lives could have been placed in danger.

"To have that number of arson incidents depletes our resources.

"To have a member of the public injured trying to tackle a fire that has been started deliberately worries me. The people that start these fires are placing the environment at risk as well as themselves, the public and the firefighters."

Fire raisers' timetable

THE number of arson attacks on Wednesday night reached 50 - almost 60 per cent of all the fires in the county.

They included bins being set alight at Sainsbury's Pitwines and Melbury Avenue, Rossmore; car fires in Oakdale, the Bloxworth estate and Rossmore; and heath fires at Canford Way and Turbary Common.

Among the incidents of arson attended by Dorset Fire and Rescue Service on Wednesday night were:

6.30pm - Broad Avenue, Charminster - small area of woodland set alight.

9pm - Bin fire at Sainsbury's Pitwines.

10.05pm - Car fire on Gussage Road on the Bloxsworth estate.

10.11pm - 'For sale' sign set alight at Castle Lane West.

10.49pm - Bush set alight in Evering Avenue, Alderney.

12.07am - Car fire in Pembroke Road, Rossmore.

12.30am - High standing gorse set alight on Turbary Common. Three fire engines attended, blaze consumed 100 square metres of land. One resident treated for smoke inhalation after trying to tackle fire.

12.40am - Hedge fire at St Brelades Avenue, Alderney.

12.50am - Heath fire at Evering Avenue, Alderney. Two fire engines and Land Rover attended.

1.10am - Children's park in Cyril Road, Charminster, set alight.

2.15am - Heath fire in Canford Way, Alderney.

3.37am - Car fire in Dale Road, Oakdale.

3.45am - Car fire in Enfield Avenue, Oakdale.

Mr Morgan added: "These fires do an awful lot of damage and will lead to prosecution. We will endeavour to find out who is doing it.

"The fires on the heath are particularly worrying because there are so many houses bordering the heath.

"There is the potential for fires to spread to these properties unless we have a swift response."

As a steady sequence of fires was lit in Rossmore, Turbary Common, Canford Heath and Alderney.

Firefighters from neighbouring stations were called to provide cover should additional emergencies arise in those areas.

Mr Morgan said: "Since most of these fires are started in the middle of the night it's unlikely to be children.

"That frightens me because we're talking about people over the age of 16 who are well aware of the dangers - or should be.

"Where there were pockets of fires in the same areas on Wednesday night it's more than likely they were started by the same person.

"It tends to be someone on their way home from the pub and they tend to leave a trail of a few fires following their way home.

"If people come in smelling of smoke other than cigarettes please be suspicious of their activities and maybe ask them what they were doing."