North firefighters called out to 49 bonfires on night public displays were cancelled because of Covid-19
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
FIREFIGHTERS responded to 511 bonfires across Scotland between 3.30pm and 11.30pm yesterday with 144 of those being in the sprawling north region.
Meanwhile Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) operations control handled more than 1100 calls from members of the public.
That was up on last year's figure before coronavirus when traditional public displays – cancelled this year because of the virus threat – were staged.
There were also 12 reported attacks on crews. No injuries have been reported.
Ross-shire comes under the SFRS North of Scotland area which includes all of the Highlands, the Western Isles and Orkney and Shetland as well as Perth, Aberdeen and Dundee. It covers a population of over 1.2 million. In this area, there were 144 calls received yesterday, two attacks on crews and 49 bonfires attended.
With public events cancelled amid continuing Covid-19 restrictions, the SFRS had appealed to the public to be aware of the dangers of both fireworks and deliberate fire-setting and to also consider the impact of their actions on communities and emergency services.
Assistant chief officer Stuart Stevens, SFRS director of service delivery, said: “Bonfire Night is traditionally one of our busiest nights of the year. Our frontline crews and operations control personnel and support staff have shown extreme dedication over this period and I would like to pay tribute to their professionalism and resilience.
"I must also thank our partners and indeed communities across Scotland for their continuing support.”
Libby Logan, SFRS area commander for operations control, said: "This was a busy and challenging evening, but I would like to praise our staff who have once again worked tirelessly to ensure we respond to those who need us the most.
"Their dedication has allowed us to meet this challenge and continue to protect communities throughout Bonfire Night."
Condemning attacks on emergency service workers, assistant chief officer Stevens added: "Attacks on emergency service workers are completely unacceptable.
"This type of behaviour not only prevents our crews from bringing any emergency to a safe and swift conclusion, but it can impact on our emergency service colleagues including the police when they must escort us at the scene.
"This type of behaviour is, of course, carried out by a very small minority and we once again thank our communities for their continuing support and working together with us to stay safe.”
The service released initial statistics but has not yet broken it down more specifically or detailed where incidents occurred.
West of Scotland: 602 calls received, seven attacks on crews and 356 bonfires attended.
East of Scotland: 447 calls received, three attacks on crews and 106 bonfires attended.
North of Scotland: 144 calls received, two attacks on crews and 49 bonfires attended.
Related: Fireworks in focus as survey shows huge support for restrictions
How this year compared to Bonfire Night 2019
