South Yorkshire Police and Fire Services urge people to be ‘fire safe’ on Bonfire Night, after over 150 incidents have been reported in the past two years.
This plea also comes after a South Yorkshire bus operator said buses had been attacked by ‘kids with fireworks,’ on 31 October.
The ‘targeted’ attack affected the 97 and 98 services, which were diverted from Crowder Road in Longley, Sheffield, in the interest of the ‘safety of staff and customers.’
A press release by South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service said county fire fighters saw a 20% increase in call outs on Bonfire Night last year.
According to the release, 96 incidents were reported on Friday 5 November last year, compared to 80 on the same date in 2020.
Matt Gillatt, area manager, and head of the joint police and fire community safety department, said: “We always want people to enjoy Bonfire Night, and we never aim to ruin anyone’s fun, but it’s really important people are careful out there,
“This year we’re specifically asking people to stay with their bonfires, as leaving them unattended tends to end badly. We’re also asking people to ensure they are sensible in how they position their fireworks, so they are away from bushes and trees.
“Finally, we’d like to ask that people bring their bins in from off the street, and let us have any information on deliberate fire-setting that they may have.
“These details can be shared with us anonymously via our FireStoppers service – people just need to call 0800 169 5558 or visit firestoppersreport.co.uk.”
