Flames spread to homes and firefighters attacked as brigade responds to 147 Bonfire Night incidents

Firefighters were attacked, a fire engine was damaged and fires spread to nearby homes in Bonfire Night chaos across Teesside.

Crews from Cleveland Fire Brigade responded to a staggering 147 incidents on Bonfire Night on Tuesday. Of these, 79 were bonfires.

Stockton crews attended Firsby Walk, in the Pallister Park area of Middlesbrough where the heat from a large bonfire had caused windows of nearby homes to crack. Stones were then thrown at two firefighters as they fought to dampen down the fire.

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Another incident occurred at about 5.15pm on Springfield Road in the Whinney Banks area of Middlesbrough, where the heat from the bonfire smashed windows of two houses. Guttering and fascias were also damaged in flats backing on to the flames.

Over in Billingham, a fire engine was damaged as crews attended a bonfire on Roscoe Road. An object was thrown at the vehicle causing damage to a wing mirror.

In a post on Facebook, Cleveland Fire Brigade thanked all its crews and operators for their "extraordinary efforts", while condemning the violence against its crews. The post said: "On one of our busiest nights of the year, crews from Blue Watch responded to a staggering 147 incidents, including 79 bonfires, two of which spread to nearby homes

"The second most common type of incident we responded to was rubbish fires, with crews attending a total of 56 incidents. Fire Control received 166 calls, almost a third more than last year.

"Unfortunately, we also dealt with two cases of violence against our staff, as well as damage to one of our fire engines. We want to reiterate that it is completely unacceptable for our staff to be subjected to violence and acts of vandalism while protecting the public.

"Such violence puts firefighters at risk of serious injury and can also divert crews from real emergencies where lives may be at risk. Cleveland Fire Brigade will not tolerate such attacks.

"Although Bonfire Night may be behind us, we urge the public to remain mindful, take pride in your community, think about the consequences of starting deliberate fires and choose to attend organised displays in the days ahead."

People with information on those starting deliberate fires, can report it anonymously to FireStoppers. Visit Cleveland Fire Brigade website for more information on fireworks safety and to find out about local organised displays happening in your area.

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