In 2006 the Brigade’s call centre took over 1,500 calls with crews attending 900 incidents on the day – more than double the number of fires attended on each of the previous four bonfire nights.
The Brigade says it is so concerned about the number of fires this year that it will be live-tweeting details of call outs throughout the evening of November 5th.
London Fire Commissioner, Ron Dobson, said: “We’re concerned that the number of Bonfire Night fires could shoot up this year. That’s why we’re taking the extraordinary step of turning to Twitter in a bid to shock people into acting more safely.
“Many of the Bonfire Night fires we see can be easily prevented so we’re hoping the public will work with us this year to try and reduce the number of fires.
“If this initiative prevents just one person from being badly burned or losing their home to a fire then it will be more than worth it.”
The Brigade’s top three Bonfire Night tips are:
- Attend organised displays – they’re much safer than holding your own
- Never leave bonfires unattended and make sure they’re fully out before leaving them
- Light bonfires well away from sheds, fences, bushes and trees
