NIFRS Kept On Its Toes As Bonfires Blaze Over The Twelfth
Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) Area Commander Dermot Rooney said: “Operational activity was consistently high across the 11th night with an increase in demand for emergency response.
“We received 303 emergency calls between the hours of 6pm 11 July and 2am 12 July 2026. This resulted in Firefighters attending 151operational incidents. 54 of these were bonfire related.
“On Milner Street, Belfast, Firefighters dealt with a garage fire following fire spread from a bonfire.
“In an isolated incident, Firefighters withdrew from a bonfire in the Cookstown area as a result of a hostile crowd.
“In Greenisland, Carrickfergus, Firefighters dealt with a row of terraced houses on fire, along with two oil tanks and a shed. Two homes were completely destroyed with damage caused to a further two properties. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
“Firefighters also responded to other incidents across the night including accidental house fires in Antrim and Coleraine and an articulated lorry fire in Newry.
“Thank you to our Firefighters, Regional Control Centre personnel and Support employees for their professionalism and dedication in ensuring we continued to deliver an effective emergency response during this demanding operational period.
“With further bonfires planned, we are prepared and ready to respond to all types of emergencies. We would encourage everyone to stay safe and make responsible choices throughout the remainder of the bank holiday weekend. With warm, dry weather continuing, we also ask anyone spending time outdoors to follow our countryside fire safety advice.”
 Area Commander Dermot Rooney said: “Operational activity was consistently high across the 11th){kind=link}