Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

On the 5th November and the early morning of the 6th November there were 142 fires involving fireworks and 507 involving bonfires. Four Fire Brigades each attended more than 5 fires caused by fireworks and 5 attended more than 20 bonfires. There were 56 fires caused by fireworks in buildings, of which the main cause, accounting for 15 of them, was fireworks entering, or being thrown into, the buildings. There were 86 fires in the open, the main cause, accounting for 19 of the incidents, being fireworks igniting trees, hedges, undergrowth etc. Of the 507 incidents involving bonfires, 246 were in streets or roadways, and 252 on enclosed or open ground; 6 of the latter spread to buildings. There were 33 casualties in fires caused by fireworks and 5 in fires connected with bonfires; none of the injuries was fatal.