A “sky high” bonfire in Tollcross was a potential danger to nearby homes, a council official warned.
A meeting heard how a truck delivered pallets and people brought wood for the huge blaze at Altyre Street.
A council officer said they had to closely monitor the situation at the site on Sunday night and a resident said fireworks were still going off at midnight.
Margaret Bell, of Auchenshuggle, Tollcross Community Council, said the bonfire was “massive” and “sky high" at the Shettleston Area Partnership meeting this morning.
She said it was well organised and children were kept at a distance, pointing out: “kids were not allowed near it".
A council official said it was “near housing” and “if the wind changed there was a risk.”
He said: “It was monitored after it was lit to make sure we could respond.”
The officer said: “We knew Altyre Street was going to be a problem.”
Explaining how council efforts to remove bonfires before they are ignited don’t always go to plan, he said: “Communities are wise to the fact that we are coming out to remove them so they are going up really quickly.”
He said there are fires rapidly built at 4pm just before nightfall.
Gail Jackson, of Tollcross Community Trust, said fireworks were still going off at midnight in the area, pointing out a lot of residents have dogs.
The Area Partnership was presented with a report on how the council, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Police Scotland remove unauthorised and potentially dangerous fires.
Since 2022 the three organisations have been working more closely and base themselves at a location together to respond to incidents on November 4 and 5.
The ‘Multi-Agency Control Centre’ (MACC) operated out of the council’s Eastgate Building on Saturday and Sunday.
The council official said staff are at risk sometimes when they go to sites to attend bonfires so it is beneficial to have the police there.
The report said: “There have been attacks on Glasgow City Council operational teams attending these sites for removal and it is therefore crucial that Police Scotland and GCC operational teams attend these sites jointly to protect staff and maintain public order.”
Response to the bonfires is prioritised based on a risk assessment.
The report explained: "After the prioritisation of reported sites, there are regular multi-agency meetings between partners within the MACC to agree how resources should be deployed.
"This element is key, as these unauthorised bonfires are built and protected by local communities.”
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel