Berwyn prisoners found using vapes to start fires, report finds

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c93k3gxgwgyo

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HMP Berwyn, in Wrexham, has seen a 74.1% increase in deliberate fires, with the majority started using vapes, according to a report

Prisoners have been using vapes to deliberately start fires inside a jail, according to a report.

Deliberate fires at HMP Berwyn in Wrexham increased by 74.1% from 2023-24 to 2024-25, according to the report, which was presented to North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority on Monday.

A total of 63 "primary" fires were started on purpose in the past year at the prison and of those, 47 had been attended by the fire service.

Incidents at the Category C men's prison continued to rise and were predominately vape based, according to the report, with the battery being used as an ignition source.

The report said the service had "engaged" with the crown inspector for HM Prisons on a regular basis and assisted in an inspection programme in May 2025.

"We are trying to address this situation and ignition source by looking at alternatives with the crown inspector and assisting him in his research into this problem," the document said.

"Incidents are unlikely to reduce in the short term," it added.

The report says incidents are predominately vape based, "with the dismantling of those devices and utilising the battery as an ignition source"

The issue was raised while looking at the "rising and falling" trends and new demands on the service, which found there had been a significant rise in the number of all incidents attended.

Over the past financial year, there had been 6,485 incidents, the report said, which was "significantly above" the three-year average of 5,737.

The cost of living crisis and the associated costs of heating homes had seen some impact on accidental fires in dwellings, it said, with fires most commonly started by combustible items being placed too close to a heat source.

The report also found North Wales Fire Service was the only service in Wales to see a rise in attended incidents during the financial year, with an increase of 8.5%.