WARNING – GRAPHIC CONTENT: A man can be seen in a video biting the end of a firework as he aimed it into the sky and then it suddenly exploded in his face with people heard screaming during the incident in Edinburgh
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Man shot in the face by firework
Footage appears to show a firework exploding in the face of a bonfire night reveller as he bit on the end of it.
The unnamed man, filmed with the firework, is believed to have been in the Gracemount area of Edinburgh and his condition is not known. In the clip, the man can be seen biting on to the end of the pyro as he aims it at the sky and then as it flared up, a nearby onlooker shouts ‘go on’.
The man can be seen holding a drink in his hand, with the incident appearing to have taken place in a park. But within seconds, sparks fly into the man’s face and those around scream before the footage comes to an end. Elsewhere in Edinburgh on bonfire night chaotic scenes saw cars smashed and fireworks posted through letterboxes. A group of around 20 young people were filmed jumping on a car before smashing its windscreen with a shovel.
Youths with ‘bats and clubs’ stormed the Hyundai forecourt on Calder Road. A clip from the scene shows cars with their windows smashed and some with doors open as the business was targeted on Tuesday night before public order officers locked the area down, reported EdinburghLive.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said that there were six reported attacks on crews within three hours across Scotland, however no injuries have been reported. And this was as they received 1,000 calls in total from the public over an eight-hour period on bonfire night.
A spokesperson stated: “Two attacks took place in Clydebank, two in Glasgow, one in Edinburgh and one in Blackridge, West Lothian. Initial figures indicate that crews responded to approximately 347 bonfires across the country between 3.30pm and 11.30pm on Tuesday, 5 November.
“In the run up to the event, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) had appealed to the public to be aware of the dangers of both fireworks and unsafe bonfires with a message to consider the impact of their actions on communities and emergency services.”
Andy Watt, Deputy Chief Officer for SFRS said that crews had to deal with missiles and fireworks thrown at them. “I would like to pay tribute to the professionalism and resilience of our frontline crews,” he said. “Operations Control firefighters answered over 1,000 calls tonight and have once again worked tirelessly to ensure we respond to those who need us the most.
“Unfortunately, several of our crews came under attack across Scotland, with six attacks within three hours. Crews were bombarded with missiles and fireworks while responding to emergency incidents. These attacks prevent our crews from bringing any emergency to a safe and swift conclusion, and can impact on our emergency service colleagues – including the police when they must escort us at the scene.
“This type of behaviour is, of course, carried out by a very small minority and we once again thank our communities for their continuing support and working together with us to stay safe across the Bonfire period.” Meanwhile police in Scotland said that serious incidents fell compared to last year. Specialist resources were dispatched on 26 separate occasions in Scotland amid Operation Moonbeam.