Northern Ireland

Fire Service deals with more than 320 calls on Eleventh night as bonfire-related incidents rise by a quarter

The Fire Service said its' call handlers dealt with a call every 48 seconds between 10pm and midnight on the Eleventh night
The Fire Service said its' call handlers dealt with a call every 48 seconds between 10pm and midnight on the Eleventh night The Fire Service said its' call handlers dealt with a call every 48 seconds between 10pm and midnight on the Eleventh night

THE Fire Service dealt with more than 320 emergency calls on the Eleventh night, with bonfire-related incidents increasing by almost a quarter on last year.

There were three attacks on fire appliances in Ballycarry, Moygashel and in the Carn Hill area of Derry.

No firefighters were injured but one engine was damaged.

There were 164 "operational incidents", with 57 of those connected to bonfires, a rise of 23 per cent on July 11 2017.

Between 10pm and midnight, call handlers answered an emergency 999 call every 48 seconds.

The highest number of bonfire-related incidents were in Belfast, North Down, Mid-Ulster and in the Causeway Coast and Glens council area.

Despite the focus on bonfires, the Fire Service said it maintained a normal service throughout the night and attended a range of other calls including vehicle fires and other emergency incidents.