Fire crew attacked in busy night in NI

A fire crew in Northern Ireland was attacked with fireworks last night as they attended a Halloween call near the border.

A rocket was fired at a fire engine in Jonesborough, south Armagh, and was one of several attacks across the North during a six-hour period in which firefighters responded to 370 calls across Northern Ireland.

In Belfast, a fire appliance from Cadogan station on the Lisburn Road was forced off the road for a number of hours for repairs after a window was broken.

Divisional Fire Officer John Smyth said: “From the period of 6pm to midnight, our crews dealt with 370 calls, which was up on the figure for Halloween night last year which was 325.

“The majority of these were calls to bonfires and other mostly secondary fires like blazing hedges, ditches, rubbish skips.

“It is of major concern to us that our appliances are still being attacked when they arrive to tackle fires. It was just luck that no-one was injured.

“What people must realise is not only do these attacks put firefighters at risk but they put the public at risk.

“If a fire appliance is forced off the road, that could be critical on a busy night like last night. Thankfully that situation did not arise.”

During a peak period between 10pm and 11pm last night, the divisional control room for Northern Ireland in Lisburn dealt with 50 incidents across the North simultaneously.

There are 67 fire stations in Northern Ireland, including Rathlin Island, off the Co Antrim coast, and 111 pumping appliances.

An ambulance crew was attacked last night after Halloween celebrations in Derry which drew thousands of people to the city.

Police said the ambulance was attacked by a crowd in Bank Place, sustaining damage to a wing mirror.

Nine people were arrested for public order offences throughout the night and most were later released.

A number of assaults were also reported.

A spokesman for the Police Service of Northern Ireland praised those involved in Derry’s celebrations. “To have such a large crowd take part, we are pleased that the festivities were enjoyed and almost everyone was well-behaved,” he said.