One call-out a minute on bonfire night

Published on Friday 6 November 2009 21:46

FIREFIGHTERS faced a barrage of calls after thousands of people swamped emergency service switchboards during bonfire night.

Responding to an average of one incident a minute, forces across Scotland were stretched to the limit, with 1,700 call-outs between Thursday morning and the early hours of yesterday.

Up to ten fire crews were also attacked during Thursday night's celebrations as youths pelted rescuers with rocks and fireworks in what one firefighter called "a sick game".

The busiest fire service, Strathclyde, took 925 calls between 7am on Thursday and 5:30am the following morning.

Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade took 419 calls in the same period – up on last year's figure of 371.

A spokeswoman said firefighters were preparing for more calls last night and an "even tougher" weekend.

She said: "We always have extra crews on standby for bonfire night, but what makes it extra difficult is the number of unnecessary calls we have from the public.

"It's a very fine line between discouraging unnecessary calls and reassuring people that we can be called if needs be."

In Dumfriesshire, a teenager was badly burned on Thursday evening when he caught fire at a village Guy Fawkes celebration. Steven Hoffman, 18, was helping to light a bonfire with a can of petrol when the flames burst out of control and set his clothes alight. He was rushed to hospital, and suffered severe burns to his upper body, face and neck.

One eyewitness said: "As they poured out the petrol it caught fire and the flames shot out right on to Steven. He dropped to the ground and started rolling around, but the top half of his body was badly burned."

A Glasgow man was treated for smoke inhalation after a child's rocket flew more than 90ft and through his bedroom window, setting fire to the flat .

Firefighters were called to the Whiteinch flat on Thursday evening after neighbours saw smoke coming from the top floor of the multi-storey tower.

A spokesman for Strathclyde Fire and Rescue said: "This is yet another grim reminder of the danger that fireworks can pose in the wrong hands."

There were reports of crews across the country being attacked after youths started fires then lay in wait for the crews before lobbing rocks and aiming fireworks at rescuers. A Lothian and Borders crew had to call police after a fire engine's windscreen was smashed.

Figures from Grampian Fire Service showed that calls in their area were down from 2008. A spokesman put the drop down to a successful bonfire and fireworks safety campaign by the fire service, police and Aberdeen City Council Trading Standards.