BREAKING Bonfire night time horror as firefighters battling main flat hearth attacked with lit fireworks
Firefighters tackling a blaze in a block of flats have been attacked by yobs throwing fireworks. Crews came under attack after being called out to a high rise tower block in Huyton, Merseyside.
Shocking social media footage shows a firework being shot in the direction of a firefighter while he is next to a fire engine. The fire engine, parked outside the tower block, is shot at from the other side of a metal fence where a small bonfire has been lit.
The firework misses the firefighter and ricochets off the vehicle and back in the direction it was shot from. A teenager at the scene has received treatment after being injured by a firework, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said.
Crews were called at 6.57pm and five engines were on the scene within minutes to tackle the blaze on the third floor balcony at the Knowsley Heights tower block. Social media footage shows the flames filling the night sky.
The fire service said none of its crew were injured during the attack. The service added that all fire engines are fitted with CCTV and that footage from the incident will be shared with Merseyside Police to assist with their investigation.
A spokesman said: “Crews were alerted at 6.57pm and on scene at 7.04pm Five fire engines and an aerial appliance are on the scene.
“Crews arrived to find a balcony fire on the third floor of a high-rise building. Firefighters quickly gained entry to the property and extinguished the fire using a main jet and a hose reel jet.
“While in attendance, fire crews were targeted and attacked with fireworks. A teenager at the scene sustained an injury caused by a firework and is being treated by the North West Ambulance Service.
“Thankfully, none of the firefighters were injured during the incident. However, MFRS is urging people to respect emergency service workers this evening. Fire crews are out protecting our communities and do not deserve to be attacked.
“All fire engines are equipped with CCTV, and the footage will be shared with Merseyside Police to assist with their investigation.”
Elsewhere in Merseyside, cops have put a dispersal order in place for the entire area of Garston Under the Bridge. The order gives officers additional powers to search people who are suspected of involvement in criminality and disorder.
And hundreds of people defied an urgent warning from councillors to watch an unauthorised bonfire being lit. Residents had been urged to stay away from Ilchester Park in Birkenhead after it was found that the bonfire there had been built far larger than permitted.
According to Wirral Council, the fire’s size exceeded the limits set by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service. But hundreds of locals still turned up and photographs showed a massive bonfire blazing in the park.
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