News

Tackling Twelfth bonfires costs fire crews £600,000

An Eleventh night bonfire ablaze just yards from houses on Chobham Street in east Belfast
An Eleventh night bonfire ablaze just yards from houses on Chobham Street in east Belfast An Eleventh night bonfire ablaze just yards from houses on Chobham Street in east Belfast

THE Fire Service has had to spend more than half-a-million pounds in the past five years dealing with dangerous bonfires built ahead of the Twelfth of July.

Firefighter callouts to bonfires increased by more than a fifth this year compared to during 2014, with crews sent to 52 blazes over the Twelfth weekend.

In total the Fire Service has been forced to spend £588,794 of taxpayer funds tackling Eleventh night bonfires, figures obtained by The Irish News reveal.

The figures emerge amid increased concerns over bonfires constructed ahead of July 12.

A bonfire on Chobham Street in east Belfast caused outrage after it was built just yards from properties.

The windows and doors of 54 homes had to be boarded up as a result to protect the glass and several families moved out of the area.

Fire crews dealt with almost 250 callouts related to Twelfth of July events between 2010 and 2014, according to figures obtained through a freedom of information request.

Last year a total of 44 callouts were recorded – a surge of almost 70 per cent on the 26 reports in 2010. The number of callouts peaked at 53 during 2013.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service also received a further 49 calls about bonfires over the five-year period that did not require crews to attend.