Fire crew attacks ‘mar’ Bonfire Night – BBC News
Image copyright Thinkstock Bonfire Night was “marred” by a number of attacks on firefighters across Scotland, the fire service has said.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) crews had missiles and fireworks thrown at them as they attended incidents.
In Greenock, firefighters were forced to withdraw after they were attacked with missiles.
Crews were sent to 970 incidents between 16:00 and midnight on Saturday on what the fire service said was its busiest night of the year.
SFRS assistant chief officer Lewis Ramsay said: “Attacks on emergency responders are completely unacceptable and I am sure the public would be outraged by incidents where their firefighters have been targeted while working to protect people and property.
“Those responsible should know that the authorities take these criminal actions extremely seriously and we will work closely with police to ensure they are identified and held to account.
“We will continue our efforts to bring about a reduction in these dangerous actions by a small number of individuals.”
Crews were attacked by a group of youths in Ardrossan, North Ayrshire, at about 19:30, where a stone damaged an appliance in New England Road.
A similar attack was carried out in Fore Street Glasgow at about 19:50, as firefighters were responding to reports of a bonfire.
Groups also threw fireworks at fire crews in the Balgrayhill area of Glasgow and in Durban Avenue in Clydebank.
There were further attacks in Stirling, Stenhousemuir in Falkirk and the Sighthill area of Edinburgh. A crew called to a rubbish fire in Bingham, Edinburgh, had stones thrown at them, hitting one firefighter.
Emergency response
The SFRS said crews also attended dozens of other incidents, including a large hedge fire in Muir of Ord, Highland, bonfires in Dundee and a number of wheelie bin fires in Aberdeen
Assistant chief officer Ramsay added: “Our crews responded to 970 incidents on Bonfire Night and over 300 bonfires.
“Bonfire Night is typically the service’s busiest night of the year, but in addition to numerous bonfires firefighters continue to respond to the full range of emergencies we face on a daily basis.
“Our frontline crews and operations control personnel are extremely dedicated and I would like to pay tribute to their professionalism, skill and hard work which enabled them to help protect communities across the country.”