Dublin Fire Brigade experienced its busiest Halloween night a decade on Thursday, with call-outs more than doubling in number when compared to last year.
The capital’s fire brigade service received 494 fire calls, of which 421 were Halloween related, during the 24 hours between midnight on October 31st and midnight on November 1st. Emergency ambulance services across Dublin received 435 calls during the same time period.
This compares to 244 fire calls across Dublin on October 31st 2023, including 185 Halloween related calls, and 385 emergency ambulance calls. In 2022, there were 234 fire call-outs, including 169 Halloween related calls, and 357 emergency ambulance calls. A Dublin Fire Brigade spokesman confirmed it was the busiest night for Dublin fire calls in ten years.
It’s believed weather conditions were one of the main factors in this year’s rise in activity – conditions on Thursday night were relatively mind and dry, compared to last year when status yellow rain warnings were in place around the country.
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This year, local authorities removed more than 500 tons of bonfire materials in the run up to Halloween, according to a statement from Dublin City Council.
While most Halloween call-outs on Thursday night were connected to bonfires, Dublin city Fire Brigade also responded to a blaze at a derelict house in Tallaght, an apartment fire in the city centre off Lower Mount Street, a blaze in a playground in Jobstown and a fire at a clothes bank in Kilbarrack. Paramedics also responded to hand and facial injuries from fireworks across the city, while some fire and ambulance crews experienced antisocial behaviour while carrying out their duties, said the council statement. However, no injuries were reported among staff.
In one of the more unusual incidents of the night, hundreds of people gathered along O’Connell Street in Dublin city centre on Thursday evening for what turned out to be a hoax Halloween parade. Images posted on social media showed hundreds turned up for the event which had been advertised on social media.
Gardaí confirmed that “contrary to information being circulated online, no Halloween parade is scheduled to take place in Dublin city Centre this evening or tonight”.
“All those gathered on O’Connell Street at present, in expectation of such a parade are asked to please disperse safely,” said the statement, posted on X.
A Garda spokesman said they received “no reports of significant incidents overnight”.
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