A CORNFIELD that sits just metres from housing in Rothwell was set on fire twice.
The incidents, which West Yorkshire Fire Service (WYFS) believe to have been sparked by local youths, were reported just after 4pm and then at around 9.45pm on Thursday, Sptember 6.
A fire that took hold of a section of the field stretching around 50m by 100m spread dangerously close to housing in Temple Avenue last night, forcing three fire crews, from Rothwell and Hunslet, to rush to the scene to extinguish it.
Tony Head, WYFS’s assistant district commander for Leeds, said: “The information I have got from last night is that three fire engines were tied up for over an hour.
“They are taking life-saving fire engines away from their core business, which is providing a service to the community.
“It’s something that we deal with but don’t want to deal with because we would rather prevent it happening in the first place.”
Police were also called during the second fire at 9.45pm but no arrests were made.
A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said that the force is aware of the incidents and will be paying extra attention to the site to deter any further problems.