Bonfire Night fire safety at home

September 11, 2023

The nights have already started drawing in and – before we know it – it’ll be that time of year once again for Bonfire Night.

Whether you are a homeowner or tenant, with or without children in your extended family, everyone seems to love a nighttime lit up by a fire in the garden and the thrill of fireworks going off nearby.

But bonfires and fireworks can spell quite a dangerous combination – especially within the confines of your own back garden – so a few fire safety precautions might come as a timely warning:

Location

• it hardly needs saying, of course, but build your bonfire well away from the house;

• it also needs to stay safely clear of any sheds, fences, trees, parked cars, or overhead cables;

• you might even want to rope off a safety area behind which visitors need to stay during your firework night celebrations;

• only build the bonfire on the day of burning – if you build it before, local wildlife such as hedgehogs could hibernate there;

Fuel

• on the bonfire itself, burn only dry and clean timber, keep the height of the fire well under 10ft (3 metres), and never attempt to burn batteries, aerosols, foam-stuffed furniture, tyres, or tins of paint;

• use firelighters rather than hazardous fuels such as paraffin, petrol, methylated spirit, or white spirit to start the fire – and never leave it unattended once it’s lit;

Fireworks

• let neighbours know ahead of the event that you are planning to let off fireworks, so they are aware;

• choose fireworks that are suitable for use from the space within your garden – and whatever they are, make sure they meet the British Standard BS 7114;

• consider using low noise fireworks – it is much kinder for pets and wildlife, as well as the elderly;

• also on the subject of pets, make sure yours are safely indoors – you can read more tips here from the RSPCA:

• the Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service publishes a Firework Code that includes warnings that fireworks should always be kept in a closed box, they should be lit at arm’s length, using a taper and after carefully reading the instructions on each one;

• if there are children around, make sure they are standing well away from the area in which you are setting off the fireworks;

• stand well away once the firework has been lit and never approach it again until it has gone off – it might still explode;

Timing

• most people will want to be standing around the bonfire while watching when you let off the fireworks;

• there is then always the danger that a spark – or even just the heat – from the fire will ignite the fireworks;

• the more careful and prudent among us, therefore, will suggest that you have your firework display before lighting the bonfire.

On second thoughts

It’s probably apparent from this list of warnings – not to mention your previous years’ experiences on Guy Fawkes’ night – that the combination of bonfires and fireworks can prove more than a little dangerous.

Those dangers are multiplied many times over when you are holding the event in your own backyard. You will probably be surprised to discover just how much space is recommended around any bonfire you build.

The Fire and Rescue Service for Greater Manchester, for example, says that your bonfire needs to be kept a minimum of 18 metres (that’s very nearly 60ft) from any building, fences, trees, sheds, car parking spaces, or overhead cables. Needless, to say, that would almost inevitably rule out the relatively modest-sized gardens owned by most of us.

Better by far – and certainly a whole lot safer – to celebrate this night of the year by going along to one of the many organised events held somewhere near to where you live. Watching a more ambitious spectacle than anything you are likely to afford at home, alongside a crowd of others, might also prove far more fun.