The long, hot summer has been partly blamed for a “significant” rise in the number of malicious fires in Angus.
Area manager David Stapley said the Arbroath East, Lunan and Montrose and District wards were most affected, but the early trend has now been reversed.
Malicious false alarm calls are also most prevalent within the Arbroath wards, with the operation of a break glass point the common cause.
At a meeting of the police and fire sub-committee in Forfar today, Mr Stapley provided the quarterly report for Angus for July through to September.
There were 25 dwelling fires, four deliberate primary fires, 36 deliberate secondary fires, 10 malicious false alarm calls, three injuries and, tragically, one fatality.
Mr Stapley said the eldery woman’s death was the first fire fatality since November 2011, with a multi-agency case conference conducted following the tragedy.
Deliberate primary fires were down but the target set for dwelling blazes was exceeded, with the most common cause being cooking-related.
Mr Stapley said the number of deliberate secondary fires were up by 19 to 36 against a target of just 17, adding: “These were significantly higher than expected and typically not a pattern that has previously been experienced with Arbroath East, Lunan and Montrose and District wards most affected.
“The two main contributory causes have been the prolonged spell of dry weather and wilful firesetters.
“Following intervention, the early trend has been reversed with significant reductions in August and September.”
He said no patterns have been identified with regards to malicious false alarm calls but they continue to educate about the negative impact of such calls.
Mr Stapley also highlighted a high number of unwanted fire signals from non-domestic premises, with 485 incidents between July and September.
He said a significant portion of the calls are being received from sheltered housing complexes as a consequence of cooking-related incidents.
He added: “A range of control measures have been implemented including engagement with Angus Council housing and safety officers, engagement with staff and residents, and undertaking a programme of home fire safety visits to sheltered housing complexes.”