Fire crews kept busy on the 5th
FIREFIGHTERS tackled three deliberate small blazes on Bonfire Night across Halton. A Cheshire Fire And Rescue Service (CFRS) spokeswoman said crews put out two fires in Runcorn and one in Widnes on Saturday, November 5.
Incidents in Runcorn included an unattended bonfire off Plymouth Close at 8.40pm and one involving a wheelie bin and furniture off Whitchurch Way at 9.09pm.
Across Cheshire, the fire service attended more than 60 incidents between noon and midnight on Saturday, compared with more than 80 last year.
The CFRS spokeswoman said the decrease is ‘believed’ to be down to prevention efforts undertaken by firefighters and police and that fire safety advice was handed out to residents throughout the bonfire period.
CFRS’s deputy chief fire officer Mark Cashin said: “As with previous years, Bonfire Night was a busy time for firefighters and control staff, however the work we do in advance alongside our partners continues to make a difference and reduce the number of incidents.
“We don’t want to stop people from enjoying themselves, however we do want to keep people safe as they enjoy what should be a fun family event.
“I would like to thank everyone who took our advice and attended an organised display rather than putting on their own.”
Provisional figures from CFRS spanning the two weeks from Monday, October 24, to Monday, November 7, showed that there were 18 and 15 ‘related bonfire incidents’ attended by firefighters in Widnes and Runcorn respectively over the fortnight.
Across the whole weekend, the force attended more than 110 incidents.
Superintendent Martin Cleworth from Cheshire police said that Halton was one of the force’s main areas of focus during both Hallowe’en and Bonfire Night.
He said: “Although there was an increase in demand for our services, our close work with our partners ensured that the celebrations ran as safely and smoothly as possible.
“I want to reassure the public that we do recognise the distress caused to victims who have been affected by any criminal disorder during the Hallowe’en and Bonfire period, and we will thoroughly investigate those incidents that have been reported to us.”
Cheshire Police And Crime Commissioner David Keane thanked officers and staff for their hard work during what can be a ‘very busy period’ for emergency services. ●