Tower Hamlets had the highest number of fires attended by the London Fire Brigade on Guy Fawkes for the last 5 consecutive years, new data has revealed.
The borough shared first place with Merton in 2022 and Southwark in 2023, with 5 and 8 incidents, respectively.
The data, published by the London Fire Brigade (LFB), came days after Tower Hamlets Council confirmed the cancellation of the 2024 Victoria Park fireworks display for the fifth year running.
The council did not provide a reason for the cancellation.
The Victoria Park event was last held in 2018 and was one of the few remaining free fireworks displays in London.
Tower Hamlets’ 5-year streak began in 2019, although it had topped the list in earlier years.
Causes of the fires included fireworks, matches, and cookers, though the does not always disclose the causes of the fires.
In 2023, the LFB reported a 14% increase in calls on Guy Fawkes night compared to the previous year.
From October 29, the LFB stopped attending automatic fire alarms in non-residential buildings between the hours of 07:00 and 20:30. Nurseries, hospitals, care homes, listed heritage sites, and other buildings are exempt from the new policy.
The change was announced in May following a public consultation last year, and after the LFB said it attended 52,000 false alarms triggered by automatic alarms between April 2023 and March 2024.
Neither Tower Hamlets Council nor London Fire Brigade responded to requests for comment by the time of publication.
Featured image: Nick Fewings, free to use under the Unsplash license.
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