Firefighters attacked as 'dangerous' bonfires put out across region

Firefighters were attacked as they were called to "dangerous" bonfires across the region on Bonfire Night. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said it takes a "tolerant view of bonfires" on November 5 and any found to be under control with adult supervision are not extinguished.

However, the fire service said it was called out to more deliberate fires, which were all considered to be dangerous, throughout the bonfire period than last year, and 999 calls increased by more than 50%.

Crews attended 49 reports of deliberately set fires across the region on Bonfire Night, Tuesday, November 5, compared to 24 in 2023. Of the 49 fires attended, 29 of these were potentially dangerous bonfires. Deliberate fires throughout the whole bonfire period, October 19 to November 5, also saw an increase, from 142 to 312.

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Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) attended 49 deliberately set "anti-social behaviour fires" – including bonfires, wheelie bin and rubbish fires – on Bonfire Night this year. Liverpool saw the greatest increase in Bonfire Night reports, from just six last year to 26. St Helens reports increased from one to four and Sefton reports increased from three to eight.

Wirral fire reports decreased from eight to five, and Knowsley decreased from six to five. Liverpool saw the highest number of "anti-social" bonfires – with fire crews attending 14 within the area. Firefighters attended four bonfires in Sefton, Knowsley, and St Helens respectively, and three in Wirral.

Incidents of firework misuse remained the same as last year, with three reports on November 5. Throughout the entirety of the bonfire period, crews attended 16 firework misuse incidents, compared to 10 last year.

In total, Fire Control received 285 emergency 999 calls on November 5 in 2024, an increase of 51.6% from 2023’s figure of 188. Throughout the entire period, Fire Control received 1,379 emergency 999 calls – up 25.5% from 2023’s figure of 1,099.

Group Manager for Community Safety, Mark Sopp, said: “We are pleased to see that the majority of people across Merseyside enjoyed a safe Bonfire Night. Whilst we did see an increase in the number of deliberate fires on 5th November itself, the majority of these fires were small scale unlicensed community bonfires.

“Overall, we saw a reduction in ASB throughout the bonfire period and this is undoubtedly down to the work the Service and partner organisations have done during this period. I would like to thank all staff at Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service that have been involved during the period, with our Control staff doing a fantastic job handling calls throughout.

“What is concerning is the number of firework incidents we have seen this year – 16 across Merseyside. These incidents are mainly attributed to smaller pockets of ASB and this behaviour is totally unacceptable.

“Playing with fireworks may seem like a laugh or a bit of fun but this kind of behaviour has very serious consequences. Whilst we are lucky that no one has been seriously injured as a result of these incidents, they could have very easily resulted in someone needing hospital care.

“Unfortunately, we have also seen an increase in the number of attacks on our staff. We work extensively with schools to reduce this kind of behaviour and would like to thank them and parents for discussing consequences with young people.

“There was still a small minority of the community that chose to attack the very people who are trying to keep them safe. Sadly, this is not specific to Merseyside and has been experienced by fire and rescue services across the country. Firefighters and support staff are not targets – they are members of your community who go above and beyond every day to keep you safe. They do not deserve to be attacked for simply doing their job.”

He added: “On November 5 we take a tolerant view of bonfires - if they are in the open, supervised by adults and under control we do not extinguish them. Those bonfires we attended and put out on Tuesday - included in our statistics - were all considered to be dangerous. We would ask members of the community to be mindful of the proximity of bonfires to houses and the dangers they pose.

“The bonfire period is always extremely busy for us as a service, though extensive advance planning and partnership work with Merseyside Police, local authorities, registered housing providers and other community partners mean we are able to keep the number of incidents down.

“In recent weeks, firefighters and the prevention team have been out with our partners in communities clearing away more than 100 tonnes of hazardous rubbish and fly-tipping, which could have been used as fuel for fires, and promoting the safe storage of wheelie bins to help prevent them becoming targets for arson. We are thankful to our communities for taking on board our safety messages and advice, and for their support throughout this period.”

Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service urges everyone to make sure they have at least one working smoke alarm on every level of their home and to ensure it is tested regularly. For free fire safety advice or to request a home fire safety check, call 0800 731 5958 or visit www.safelincs.co.uk.