A MAN has hit out at a group of youths who started a fire in a garage 'that could have killed someone'.

Jason Kauder lept from his taxi to catch three boys in a unit off MacArthur Crescent in the Bitterne area of Southampton.

In video seen by the Daily Echo the 53-year-old shouts at a schoolboy in uniform 'wait here'.

The youngster's two companions had fled the scene just moments before. 

Jason, 53, had been alerted to the blaze, which left a door partially burnt, by an alarm on Wednesday afternoon.

Daily Echo: Jason Kauder confronts a teenage boy following a fire at a garage in MacArthur Crescent, Southmapton.Jason Kauder confronts a teenage boy following a fire at a garage in MacArthur Crescent, Southmapton.

He said: “It is dangerous. People keep gas bottles in their cars. If one of those had caught [fire] there could have been a major incident.

“The bit that got me is why would anybody be stupid enough to go and set a fire in your school uniform.”

Jason said homeless people sometimes sleep in the garages and the fire 'could have killed someone'.

He added: "Someone’s parents must know their children were doing this when they come home smelling like smoke.”

Daily Echo: Jason Kauder.Jason Kauder.

The emergency services were called with fire crews from Hightown and St Mary’s scrambled to tackle the blaze at just before 5pm.


READ MORE: Sunlight reflecting off glass thought to be cause of Gosport house fire


Police also attended the incident, however, by the time officers arrived, the three youths had all run away.

Jason has said he won’t store anything valuable in his garage because he knows it will just be taken or damaged.

During a similar incident in November last year, he stopped a gang of six youths on mopeds kicking down the doors of ten garages in the early hours of the morning.

He branded them, cowards, after confronting them and blamed their parents.


READ MORE: Southampton man catches moped gang breaking into ten garages


Hampshire police have since confirmed receiving a report of possible arson on June 22.

A spokesperson for the force said: "Officers attended the address - a series of garages – and located a quantity of burnt paper which had been attempted to be put out using a small quantity of water which was present on the floor.

“This investigation has been filed, pending further information coming to light.”

Anyone who has information on the incident can contact police on 101 or online.

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