Halloween night: Dublin Fire Brigade responds to 1,120 calls

Dublin Fire Brigade responded to more than 1,120 emergency calls over Halloween night – usually the busiest night of the year for emergency services.

Fire crews in Dublin were called to deal with between 300 and 400 bonfires on Tuesday night, and ambulance services were called to 250 incidents, according to the Dublin Fire Brigade.

“It’s still going, we have bonfires still going and several car fires from last night. Crews are still out and receiving calls. Several bonfires are smouldering so we’re receiving calls to attend them,” a spokesman said. “Thankfully no fire officers were injured.”

Garda public order units were on call through Halloween night to assist fire crews dealing with dangerous incidents and bonfires. Gardaí with riot shields were called to assist a fire crew from Dolphin's Barn who were dealing with a bonfire on a grass pitch in South Dublin.

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Fire crews in Rathfarnham successfully put out a small fire in Ticknock forest, near Sandyford in South Dublin, which was believed to have been started by a firework.

In Dublin city fire crews responded to a large bonfire in the grounds of a flat complex in North Strand. Fire crews also responded to a large number of call-outs to cars set on fire or burnt out around the Dublin region.

From as early as noon on Tuesday fire crews in Dublin were attending small incidents where minor bonfires had been started.

The Dublin Fire Brigade also attended a number of regional incidents in the wider Leinster area last night.

In the midst of the Halloween night incidents and bonfires the fire service also responded to routine house fires and other incidents. Fire crews responded to a well developed house fire on Wyattville Road, Ballybrack, Co Dublin, where fire officers rescued one dog from the blaze and put out the fire without any reported injuries.

On Sunday night one fire service officer suffered a perforated eardrum when a firework was thrown as the crew attempted to put out a bonfire in Blanchardstown. A spokesman for the fire service said attacks on fire crews were not unusual.

On Monday night units of the fire brigade attended illegal bonfires at Dolphin’s Barn, Ballyfermot, Darndale, Finglas and Tallaght, and attempts were made to prevent crews dousing the fires.

Laws

Dublin North West Fine Gael TD Noel Rock said the level of anti-social behaviour and illegal bonfires on Tuesday nigth was unaccpetable. “I’ve never had as many complaints in any year as I did last night," he said. "Laws are not being properly enforced here."

In Co Clare, fire services responded to seven call-outs relating to bonfires during the Halloween period between Sunday and last night, the majority in the Ennis area. 
 
This is a drop compared to last year, where Clare fire service responded to 19 bonfire incidents over the Halloween period.

Angela Naughton, senior assistant chief fire officer said “there was a significant reduction in the number of callouts this Halloween compared to previous years.”

In Mayo the fire service only received a routine number of four calls on Tuesday, none of which related to bonfires. A spokesman for the fire service said fire stations in the west of Ireland would not deal with many illegal bonfires around Halloween.

A spokesman for Limerick fire service said their service also had a “quiet night”, and despite large numbers of fireworks being set off they only received three call-outs, one of which was to a road traffic collision.