Loyalists attack firefighters at Twelfth bonfire

A firefighter was treated in hospital for an eye injury after his crew was attacked by loyalists in Co Antrim during Protestant…

A firefighter was treated in hospital for an eye injury after his crew was attacked by loyalists in Co Antrim during Protestant July 12th celebrations in the North.

UVF man
A UVF gunman
fires a volley
of shots at a bonfire
near the Shankill road,
west Belfast.

The violence marred a relatively peaceful night as loyalists commemorated King William III's victory at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 with bonfires.

The fire unit was attacked in Bushmills as it arrived in the village to treat a blaze.

In Derry, a 17-year-old youth suffered burns when a petrol can exploded in a bonfire in the Newbuildings area.

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A six-year-old girl was also treated in hospital for shock and the windows of several homes were smashed by the blast.

Firefighters responded to a total of 327 emergencies across the North over the 24-hours leading up to midnight - an increase of around 20 per cent on last year.

During the peak 10 p.m. to midnight period, crews responded to 86 emergencies - almost double the figure for last year.