Greater Manchester fire crews attend over 200 incidents on busy Bonfire Night

Greater Manchester fire and rescue service on Bonfire Night

Firefighters attended more than 200 incidents across Greater Manchester on another busy Bonfire Night.

North West Fire Control took 308 calls between 4pm on Saturday 5 November and 8am on Sunday 6 November, with crews from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) attending 229 incidents.

This is a slight increase from last year when firefighters attended 218 incidents across Greater Manchester.

Although the vast majority of people celebrated Bonfire Night safely and responsibly, there were isolated incidents where crews encountered anti-social behaviour while trying to perform their duties.

In Eccles, a firework was thrown at firefighters who were trying to extinguish an unsupervised bonfire. Fireworks were also aimed at crews responding to an incident in Crumpsall Park, Manchester.

Crews from Manchester Central, Salford and Broughton stations attended an incident where a firework had reportedly been put through the letterbox of a home in Salford. Firefighters arrived quickly and extinguished a small fire in the hallway of the property.

GMFRS assistant chief fire officer, Leon Parkes, said: “Bonfire Night is always a particularly challenging time for our fire crews. Our firefighters, alongside other emergency services did a fantastic job keeping the public safe and I’d like to thank them for all their hard work over the weekend.

“I’d also like to thank the control room staff at North West Fire Control, who fielded hundreds of calls and did an excellent job in difficult circumstances.  

“Unfortunately, there were a handful of isolated incidents where crews were met with abuse and had fireworks thrown at them. Firefighters should not have to deal with anti-social behaviour while trying to keep people safe.  

“Thankfully no-one was hurt but I’d like to remind the public that this behaviour is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Setting light to fires, throwing fireworks and making hoax calls can cost lives and keep our firefighters away from dealing with life-threatening incidents.

“GMFRS fire safety officers have also been busy this bonfire period, visiting businesses licensed to store fireworks to make sure they store fireworks safely. Officers have powers to seize fireworks if they are not being stored safely and have powers to detain and remove fireworks from shops where licence conditions are not being followed.”

Further safety advice is available on the GMFRS website.