In the past four weeks, firefighters have already attended around two firework-related incidents a week on average. This includes:
Most notably, firefighters tackled a fire at a secondary school in Enfield last week, believed to have been caused by a group of young people playing with fireworks. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the incident has served as a stark warning to Londoners of the dangers of misusing fireworks.
To raise awareness, the Brigade has released footage of the incident captured as part of their GoodSam application, hoping it will encourage the public to exercise caution during the upcoming fireworks season.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Service said: “An investigation was launched recently following a fire at a school in Enfield on 23 October. This fire appears to have been deliberately started by a group of young people aiming fireworks at the building and our enquiries around this are ongoing.
“We are continuing to work with London Fire Brigade, local schools and partners including councils to highlight the dangers of fireworks across this period.
“Officers will continue to be on patrol across Halloween and Fireworks night to respond to reports of anti-social behaviour.”
Assistant Commissioner for Prevention and Protection, Craig Carter, said: “It’s really concerning for us to see so many firework-related incidents caused by people deliberately misusing fireworks in the past few weeks.
“As we enter the time of year when fireworks are more readily available and used for celebrations, we’re urging the public to think twice before purchasing fireworks and to consider attending an organised display instead. Parents should also talk to their children about the dangers of playing with fireworks.
“Our priority is to keep Londoners safe, but when people are misusing fireworks, it takes away resources from other emergencies across the capital.
“Fireworks are explosives and as such, should be treated with respect and only used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and the Fireworks Code. If you misuse fireworks, you risk seriously injuring yourself, or your loved ones.
“If you’re a registered seller with a special license to sell fireworks, it’s illegal to sell fireworks to anyone under 18. You can be fined an unlimited amount and imprisoned for up to 6 months for selling or using fireworks illegally.
“If you choose to use fireworks privately, you must only buy safe fireworks with a CE mark and never throw them or direct them towards other people, animals or properties.”
The Brigade has also revealed new data today, which ranks Tower Hamlets as London’s busiest borough during fireworks season, with Control Officers taking 685 fire related calls to incidents in the borough since 2010. A staggering 60 per cent of these calls occurred on Bonfire Night alone, with the remaining 25 per cent on Diwali and 14 per cent on Halloween.
The top five boroughs also include Ealing, Newham, Enfield, and Hounslow, with Control Officers receiving between 340 and 418 fire related calls each across the season. Other boroughs, such as Southwark, Hillingdon, Croydon, Brent, Bromley, Barking and Dagenham, Hackney, Westminster, and Redbridge, each saw over 200 calls.
For more information on fireworks, bonfire and candle safety, visit London Fire Brigade’s website. You can also find fireworks displays across the city on the Brigade’s website, which have had risk assessments carried out.