Stones and fireworks thrown at South Yorkshire's emergency services
A fire engine was unable to respond to 999 calls on bonfire night
Last updated 6th Nov 2017
A South Yorkshire fire engine was put out of action on bonfire night, after firefighters were attacked while tackling blazes started deliberately in Sheffield.
Stones were thrown at the fire engine and crew as they responded to reports of fires being started near Grimesthorpe Road South, Grimesthorpe at around 9.30pm.
No firefighters were injured, but the window of one of the fire engines was damaged meaning it couldn’t respond to further 999 calls.
Firefighters withdrew until police arrived, before continuing to extinguish the fires.
Area Manager Tony Carlin at South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue said: “We are absolutely appalled that our firefighters appear to have been targeted in this way.
“Attacks like this place the safety of our firefighters, and the people they are trying to protect, at risk. Thankfully, this type of incident is extremely rare in South Yorkshire and it is only a tiny minority of people who would ever consider acting in such an irresponsible and dangerous way.
“However, even one attack on a firefighter is completely unacceptable – and we will work alongside the police to fully investigate any attacks and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.”
Chief Supt Scott Green from South Yorkshire Police said: “Luckily, nobody was hurt but it could have been a much more serious incident. It does appear that the fire engine was deliberately targeted, which is completely unacceptable.
“Emergency service workers put their lives on the line daily to protect the public of South Yorkshire and this sort of aggression and violence will not be tolerated. I’d urge anyone with information about those responsible to come forward.”
The force tweeted about the incidents they were called to on Saturday night, including multiple reports of people throwing fireworks at cars, people and police officers , and youths putting fireworks through the letterbox of a house in Woodlands.
Between 5pm-11pm on Saturday they recorded 583 incidents.