Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) responded to an additional 15 incidents of deliberately set fires across Merseyside on Bonfire Night, Thursday 5 November, than on the same date last year, however, overall, the figures for the bonfire period up to and including 5th November have remained relatively low, with an increase of 22 incidents attended by MFRS for deliberate secondary fires.
Firefighters attended 31 deliberately set ASB (anti-social behaviour fires – this includes bonfires, wheelie bin and rubbish fires – between 00:00 hours and 23.59 hours on Bonfire Night, as opposed to 16 on 5 November 2025. Of the 31 ASB fires, 19 of these were deemed to be dangerous bonfires.
On Thursday 5 November, in areas covered by MFRS – St Helens saw a reduction in deliberately set fires. Knowsley stayed the same, and Liverpool, Sefton, and Wirral saw an increase.
St. Helens saw a decrease in incidents, Knowsley remained the same as last year, with slight increases recorded in Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral.
Wirral saw the highest number of bonfires – with fire crews attending 8 within the area. Firefighters attended 6 bonfires in Liverpool, and 4 in Sefton, with one reported in Knowsley and none in St Helens.
Crews attended 2 incidents related to the misuse of fireworks, down from 3 last year. Throughout the entirety of the bonfire period (19 October – 5 November), crews attended 7 firework incidents, down from a total of 9 incidents for the same period the previous year.
In total, Fire Control received 344 emergency 999 calls on 5 November in 2026, an increase of 48.9% on 2025’s figure of 231. Throughout the entire period, Fire Control received 1,305 emergency 999 calls – up 5.9% from 2025’s figure of 1,232.
MFRS Group Manager for Community Safety, Craig Whitfield, said:
“We are pleased to see that the majority of people across Merseyside enjoyed a safe Bonfire Night. While we did see an increase in the number of deliberate fires on 5 November itself, the majority of these fires were small scale unlicensed community bonfires.
“Overall, we saw a reduction in the number of firework incidents throughout the bonfire period, and this is undoubtedly down to the work the Service and partner organisations have done during this period. I would like to thank all staff at Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service that have been involved during the period, with our Fire Control staff doing a fantastic job handling calls throughout.
“What is concerning is the number of deliberate fires we have seen this year – 31 across Merseyside. These incidents are mainly attributed to smaller pockets of anti-social behaviour (ASB) and this is totally unacceptable.
“Fires set deliberately can have extremely serious consequences. While we are lucky that no one has been seriously injured as a result of these incidents, they could have very easily resulted in someone needing hospital care.
GM Whitfield added:
“On 5th November, we take a tolerant view of bonfires - if they are in the open, supervised by adults and under control we do not extinguish them. Those bonfires we attended and put out on Thursday - included in our statistics - were all considered to be dangerous. We would ask members of the community to be mindful of the proximity of bonfires to houses and the dangers they pose.
“The bonfire period is always extremely busy for us as a Service, though extensive advance planning and partnership work with Merseyside Police, local authorities, registered housing providers and other community partners mean we are able to keep the number of incidents down.
“In recent weeks, firefighters and the prevention team have been out with our partners in communities clearing away tonnes of hazardous rubbish and fly-tipping, which could have been used as fuel for fires, and promoting the safe storage of wheelie bins to help prevent them becoming targets for arson.
“We are thankful to our communities for taking on board our safety messages and advice, and for their support throughout this period.”
As we move into winter, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service urges everyone to make sure they have at least one working smoke alarm on every level of their home and to ensure it is tested regularly.
For free fire safety advice or to request a home fire safety check, call 0800 731 5958. You can also complete a free online home fire safety check at https://www.safelincs.co.uk/hfsc/?ref=MRSFRS
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service also provides free smoke alarms for Merseyside residents aged 65 or over.
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Note to editors:
Total 999 calls received by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service on Thursday 5 November (00:00 Sat 5th – 23:59 Sat 5th):
|
Total 999 Calls Received |
||||
|
2025 |
2026 |
Difference |
Percentage Difference |
|
|
Total |
231 |
344 |
113 |
48.9% |
Total 999 calls received by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service between 19 October – 5 November
|
Total 999 Calls Received |
||||
|
2025 |
2026 |
Difference |
Percentage Difference |
|
|
Total |
1232 |
1305 |
73 |
5.9% |
A full and inclusive breakdown of all deliberately set fire incidents attended by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service on Thursday 5 November is detailed below:
|
All Deliberate Fires |
||||
|
District |
2025 |
2026 |
Difference |
Percentage Difference |
|
Knowsley |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0.0% |
|
Liverpool |
5 |
13 |
8 |
160.0% |
|
Sefton |
5 |
6 |
1 |
20.0% |
|
St Helens |
4 |
0 |
-4 |
-100.0% |
|
Wirral |
1 |
11 |
10 |
1000.0% |
|
Grand Total |
16 |
31 |
15 |
93.8% |
Breakdown of all deliberately set fires attended by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service over the entire bonfire period (19 October – 5 November)
|
All Deliberate Fires |
||||
|
District |
2025 |
2026 |
Difference |
Percentage Difference |
|
Knowsley |
19 |
14 |
-5 |
-26.3% |
|
Liverpool |
35 |
55 |
20 |
57.1% |
|
Sefton |
10 |
18 |
8 |
80.0% |
|
St Helens |
14 |
13 |
-1 |
-7.1% |
|
Wirral |
23 |
23 |
0 |
0.0% |
|
Grand Total |
101 |
123 |
22 |
21.8% |
The numbers of incidents attended by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service on Thursday, 5 November specifically relating only to bonfires is given below. These figures are included as part of the full breakdown of incidents, detailed above:
|
Bonfires Only |
||||
|
District |
2025 |
2026 |
Difference |
Percentage Difference |
|
Knowsley |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0.0% |
|
Liverpool |
2 |
6 |
4 |
200.0% |
|
Sefton |
4 |
4 |
0 |
0.0% |
|
St Helens |
2 |
0 |
-2 |
-100.0% |
|
Wirral |
1 |
8 |
7 |
700.0% |
|
Grand Total |
10 |
19 |
9 |
90.0% |