The London Fire Brigade has said that this year’s Bonfire Night was the quietest on record, with just 119 fires in the capital during the whole of 5th November.
This year’s figures mark the continued decline of Bonfire Night call outs, falling from 125 last year and 130 the year before. In 2010, crews dealt with 175 fires, and in 2007 firefighters tackled 334 fires. The statistics reveal a 64% drop in Bonfire Night fires across the 6 years.
London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson said:
We work very hard to remind the public about the importance of staying safe on Bonfire Night, and it’s brilliant that the number of fires is dropping on a yearly basis.
“Everyone at the London Fire Brigade strives to bring the number of call outs down year on year, so we’re very pleased that this was once again our quietest Bonfire Night on record.”
The bulk of the calls came between 4pm and midnight, as Londoners gathered to celebrate with fireworks and bonfires, leading to 97 fire calls to the Brigade’s control centre. The majority of the incidents were small fires such as bin fires, trees alight, and bonfires that were out of control.
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The London Fire Brigade advises people attend organised displays instead of doing their own in their back gardens, and recommends any bonfires are kept well away from buildings, sheds, and fencing. For more Bonfire Night advice, go to the LFB website.