Man Charged With Arson After Around 10 Fires At London Fields

A 50-year-old man has been charged with arson after around 10 fires were reported at London Fields in Hackney, prompting an early-morning response from police and firefighters.

Metropolitan Police officers and the London Fire Brigade were called to London Fields, near Lansdowne Drive, at around 5.07am on Saturday, 15 August, following several reports of a man starting fires in the park.

Emergency crews attended the scene and the London Fire Brigade quickly extinguished around 10 separate fires, all of which were within London Fields. Police confirmed that no injuries were reported.

Man Charged Following London Fields Fires

Police arrested a man in his 50s on suspicion of arson, setting fires and possession of a Class A drug. Later on Saturday, Isaac Shozi, 50, of Bodney Road in Hackney, was charged with arson, according to the Metropolitan Police.

Shozi was remanded in custody and is due to appear at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 17 August at 10am.

The charge comes during a period of heightened concern about fires following prolonged hot and dry weather.

Detective Superintendent Liz Cumber, who leads policing in central east London, warned that even relatively small fires can spread rapidly and threaten people, buildings and open spaces, particularly when wildfire conditions are elevated.

The Metropolitan Police has urged anyone who witnesses a fire, or behaviour that could create an immediate fire risk, to call 999, saying prompt reports can allow emergency services to intervene before flames spread.

The case remains subject to court proceedings, and the charge against Shozi is an allegation unless and until proved in court.