Firefighters have slammed “totally unacceptable” behaviour after crews were pelted with fireworks in Salford and a home was set on fire on Bonfire Night.
The news comes after Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue reported that a firework was thrown at firefighters who were trying to extinguish an unsupervised bonfire in Eccles.
On the same night, 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.”
North West Fire Control took 308 calls between 16:00 Saturday night (5th November) and 08:00 Sunday (6 November), with crews from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) attending 229 incidents.
This is up slightly from last year’s 218 incidents across the region.
For more information, visit the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service website.
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