Firefighters attended 18 deliberately set fires in Sefton between 19 October and 5 November, up from 10 last year. Four were bonfires on the night itself.
Firefighters attended 18 deliberately set fires in Sefton over the 2026 bonfire period, from 19 October to 5 November, up from 10 over the same weeks last year, according to figures Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service released on Friday 6 November.
Six of those fires were on Bonfire Night itself, one more than on 5 November 2025. Four of the six were bonfires that crews judged dangerous enough to put out, the same number as last year. The service publishes its figures by council district, so Sefton covers Southport, Formby, Crosby, Maghull and Bootle together; there is no separate count for Southport.
Sefton against the rest of Merseyside
Across the county, crews attended 31 deliberately set fires on 5 November, almost double the 16 a year earlier. The service counts these as anti-social behaviour fires, a group that takes in bonfires, wheelie bins and rubbish. Nineteen of the 31 were dangerous bonfires, against 10 in 2025.
Wirral had the biggest jump on the night, from 1 deliberate fire to 11, including 8 bonfires. Liverpool went from 5 to 13, with 6 bonfires. Knowsley had 1 in each year, and St Helens fell from 4 to none.
Over the whole bonfire period the Merseyside total rose from 101 deliberate fires to 123, an increase of 21.8%. Sefton’s rise of eight was the second biggest after Liverpool’s twenty.
| District | 5 Nov 2025 | 5 Nov 2026 | Bonfire period 2025 | Bonfire period 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sefton | 5 | 6 | 10 | 18 |
| Liverpool | 5 | 13 | 35 | 55 |
| Wirral | 1 | 11 | 23 | 23 |
| Knowsley | 1 | 1 | 19 | 14 |
| St Helens | 4 | 0 | 14 | 13 |
| Merseyside | 16 | 31 | 101 | 123 |
Firework incidents went the other way. Crews attended 2 incidents involving the misuse of fireworks on 5 November, down from 3, and 7 across the whole period, down from 9.
Fire Control, which answers 999 calls for the whole county, took 344 emergency calls on Bonfire Night, 48.9% more than the 231 it took in 2025. Over the period it handled 1,305, up 5.9% from 1,232.
What the fire service said
Group Manager Craig Whitfield, who leads community safety for the service, said most people had a safe night, and that most of the fires crews attended were small, 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,” he said. “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.”
He was blunter about the deliberate fires. “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.”
He explained why some bonfires are left to burn and others are put out: “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 service credits planning with Merseyside Police, the councils and housing providers for keeping numbers 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,” GM Whitfield said.
“We are thankful to our communities for taking on board our safety messages and advice, and for their support throughout this period.”
Before Bonfire Night the service had asked parents in Southport and across Merseyside to know where their children were, after crews were attacked with fireworks last year. It also staged a firework house fire demonstration on 4 November.
What it means for you
- Store wheelie bins safely. Bins and rubbish are counted alongside bonfires in the service’s anti-social behaviour fires, and it has been promoting safe bin storage so they do not become targets for arson.
- Report fly-tipping early. Piles of dumped rubbish are what the service has been clearing because they become fuel.
- Check your smoke alarms. Heading into winter, the service wants at least one working smoke alarm on every level of every home, tested regularly.
- Free help. Call 0800 731 5958 for free fire safety advice or to ask for a home fire safety check, or do the free online check. Merseyside residents aged 65 or over can get free smoke alarms from the service.
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