Fire fighters responded to 192 extra incidents – including 92 bonfires – across the north of Scotland last night.
Among the incidents, five wheelie bins were set on fire in Balloan Road, Inverness, at 7pm, while an “unsupervised” bonfire was reported at North Tolsta, on the Isle of Lewis, where tyres had been thrown onto a fire and left to burn.
A “small number” of minor attacks – including verbal abuse and missiles thrown at appliances – were also directed at crews, including one reported in the north.
However, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) bosses have praised their staff for handling such difficult situations on what was an extremely “busy” night.
The fire service have released the figures this morning to highlight what crews had to deal with in addition to road traffic accidents and other fires.
Across Scotland, more than 1,100 incidents were tackled in total, including 507 bonfires.
Assistant Chief Officer Dave Boyle, SFRS director of service delivery, said his crews had ensured no major incidents developed.
“While it will take time to establish the full picture it’s clear we have seen a significant number of incidents requiring the attendance of our crews across Scotland,” he said.
“Firefighters responded to 999 calls from the Borders to the Western Isles, many of which related to bonfires that were unsupervised or endangered homes and other buildings.
“It’s important to remember however that our crews were not only involved in bonfire-related activities, they also responded to emergencies including building fires and road traffic collisions.
“As always their professionalism and specialist skills were available and put into practice wherever they were needed to protect the public.”
Assistant Chief Officer Lewis Ramsay, SFRS director of prevention and protection, urged the public once again to take extra cautions when celebrating Bonfire night.
“Over the weeks and months leading up to 5 November we called on people to help prevent needless incidents and ensure firefighters could quickly get to emergencies,” he said.
“By preventing bonfire-related incidents and helping to ensure our crews and their resources could quickly get where they were needed, responsible citizens have certainly played their part in protecting communities throughout Scotland.
“The fact is that every year these result in someone being hurt and the consequences for the person and their families can be devastating.
“Firefighters in every community are always ready to respond to emergencies and do whatever they can to save lives, but the sad reality is sometimes their very best efforts won’t be enough.
“We need the public’s help to prevent tragedies and so I would like to thank everybody who celebrated Guy Fawkes Night by going to an official event, as well as anyone who alerted local authorities to the build-up of bonfire materials.”