Crews attend hundreds of incidents on Bonfire Night
- GMFRS attend 270 incidents on Bonfire Night, 92 more compared to 2023
- Crews worked alongside Greater Manchester Police to control potentially dangerous incidents
- Majority of Greater Manchester enjoyed Bonfire Night safely and GMFRS crews thank the public for this
Fire crews attended 270 incidents across Greater Manchester, as we worked alongside partners to help keep communities safe on Bonfire Night.
North West Fire Control (NWFC), who take calls for the service, handled 478 calls on Bonfire Night (4pm Tuesday 5 November to 8am Wednesday 6 November), with our crews attending 270 incidents. Both figures are up on 2023, when 277 calls were received and fire crews were mobilised to 178 incidents.
Incidents attended included many uncontrolled or unattended bonfires. There were also several isolated instances of anti-social behaviour with partners from Greater Manchester Police helping to control this.
This included on Vine Street in Gorton where people were found to be lighting a fire on waste ground and throwing fireworks and missiles, causing damage to the surrounding area. When GMFRS crews attended alongside GMP all crews were unfortunately targeted with fireworks. Thankfully no injuries were sustained.
The majority of Greater Manchester enjoyed Bonfire Night safely and GMFRS would like to thank the public for this.
This year saw a decrease in deliberate fires and hoax calls, although the number of incidents directly involving fireworks did increase.
Sarah Nattrass, GMFRS’s Assistant Chief Fire Officer, said:
“I saw firsthand the tireless work our crews carried out over Bonfire Night. They worked incredibly hard to deal with fires in often tough conditions.
“It is regrettable to see once again our crews just trying to do their jobs be targeted by anti-social behaviour, risking causing serious injuries to our firefighters and our emergency service partners.
“However, it is only a very small number who engage in this abhorrent behaviour, and I would like to thank the vast majority of residents who take part in Bonfire Night safely and engage positively with our firefighters if needed.”
Kate Green, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester for Safer and Stronger Communities, said:
“The Bonfire period is always an extremely busy one for our fire service and one that is dealt with very positively, despite the often challenging circumstances.
“The crews I joined in east Manchester on Bonfire Night did an immensely impressive job in keeping our communities safe and I am incredibly proud of them.
“Any act of violence or intimidation towards our emergency services will never be tolerated and we will support Greater Manchester Police in investigating any of these incidents.”
Over the last month GMFRS and partners have been encouraging residents to enjoy the Bonfire Night period safely and highlight the effect attacks on our firefighters have with the Bang Out of Order campaign. More information on this can be found here: Emergency services warn against antisocial behaviour and deliberate fire setting over bonfire season - Greater Manchester Fire Rescue Service.
GMFRS’ work to prepare for this busy night starts in the summer. Alongside GMP and Trading Standards, its specially trained inspectors carry out enforcement action relating to the safe and legal selling of fireworks.
This includes inspecting retailers and other businesses to ensure fireworks are not stored or sold without the correct licence, and to reduce the opportunities for the misuse of fireworks in areas where anti-social behaviour is known to have taken place previously. In the three-weeks leading up to bonfire night, over 100 local businesses were inspected.
Anyone with any information on the Vine Street incident is asked to please speak to GMP by contacting 101 quoting incident number 2294 of 5/11/24. Details can be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Article Published: 06/11/2024 17:35 PM