Derbyshire fire chief's firework safety plea after 50 emergency calls on Bonfire Night

Firefighters have urged people to take care with fireworks this weekend, despite Bonfire Night passing off without any major incidents.
By Robert Cumber
Published 6th Nov 2020, 16:03 BST
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Firefighters across Derbyshire received around 50 emergency calls on Thursday, November 5, which was also the first day of the new national lockdown.

Crews attended 21 incidents, but only three of those were related to bonfires or fireworks.

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Firefighters in Derbyshire thankfully only attended a handful of small blazes related to Bonfire Night this yearFirefighters in Derbyshire thankfully only attended a handful of small blazes related to Bonfire Night this year
Firefighters in Derbyshire thankfully only attended a handful of small blazes related to Bonfire Night this year

Those were a small grass fire caused by a discarded firework, a small fire on a garden tree caused by the heat of an unused sparkler, and a large controlled bonfire on private land, all of which were dealt with quickly and without any injuries.

Debyshire Fire & Rescue Service said the number of incidents to which crews responded was slightly up on the 13 they attended on Bonfire Night last year but was no higher than the average number of calls it receives each evening.

Station manager Gareth Murtagh said: “With many organised displays being cancelled, we were concerned that more people would hold their own bonfire parties at home this year. This brings an increased risk of out of control bonfires and emergencies from the use of fireworks at home.

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“Thankfully last night, Bonfire Night, was relatively business as usual for our control room with around 50 calls being taken. Thankfully there weren’t any incidents of any significance as a result of Bonfire Night, but of course we cannot be complacent as we head into a weekend when more people may choose to celebrate.

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“I’d like to urge people to continue to follow firework safety advice and once again, call upon our communities to Not Bonfire this year. A garden bonfire can quickly get out of hand, escalating to damage property and even causing injury, so it’s better to avoid any unnecessary risks. We do want everyone to enjoy the festivities, but need to call for them to do that as safely as possible.”

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A spokeswoman for Derbyshire police said: “While this year’s November 5 celebrations were very different, there were very few serious incidents in relation to fireworks.

“As we usually see, the vast majority of people acted in a sensible manner and we hope this continues across the weekend.”