Skip to main content
Home
  • Home
  • About us
    Back
    About us
      • Our people
      • Our fire stations
      • Fleet and equipment
      • How we respond to emergency calls
      • Community Risk Management Plan
      • In your area
      • Information and data transparency
      • What we spend
      • Our performance
      • Request information
      • Have your say
        Back
        Have your say
        • Community conversations
        • Complaints
        • Compliments
      • Developing our Service
      • Our environmental strategy
      • Equality and diversity
      • Work with us
      • Community events
      • Customer Charter
      • Fire Authority
      • Fire, rescue and safety training (Red One)
      • Firefighters' pensions board
  • Safety advice
    Back
    Safety advice
      • Safety at home
        Back
        Safety at home
        • How to stay safe
        • Smoke alarms
        • Home safety visits
        • Risks in your home
        • Advice for carers
        • Advice for parents
      • Business safety
        Back
        Business safety
        • Risk assessments
        • High rise buildings
        • Guidance for businesses
        • Landlords and holiday lets
        • Inspections and enforcement
        • Farms and agriculture
      • Safety outdoors
      • Safety on the road
  • Newsroom
    Back
    Newsroom
    The blue circular sticker in a fire door which reads 'fire door keep shut' on a wooden fire door, with a but of the grid window of the fire door in the photo.
    News
    11 Sep 2023

    Get support on fire safety for your business

    A few chimneys in a row, with smoke coming out of the one in the middle. Only the roofs of the houses can be seen, as well as some of the brick wall of the first in the row, and a grey sky. There are a few trees in the background with no leaves, so it's clearly autumn.
    News
    01 Sep 2023

    Stop a chimney fire from happening to you

    • Incidents
    • News
    • Events
    • Social media
  • Careers
    Back
    Careers
      • Vacancies
      • Become an on-call firefighter
        Back
        Become an on-call firefighter
        • Application process (on-call)
      • Become a wholetime firefighter
        Back
        Become a wholetime firefighter
        • Application process (wholetime)
      • The role of a firefighter
      • The role of a fire control operator
        Back
        The role of a fire control operator
        • Become a fire control operator
      • Support staff roles
      • Looking after our people
        Back
        Looking after our people
        • Embracing equal opportunities
        • Supporting women in the Service
      • Pay rates
      • Benefits
      • Request a careers talk
  • Education and young people
    Back
    Education and young people
      • Early years, reception and year one
      • Primary schools
        Back
        Primary schools
        • Primary school fire safety visits
        • Great Fire of London
      • Secondary schools
      • Safety resources for children and young people
        Back
        Safety resources for children and young people
        • Fire and road safety resources
      • Fire starting behaviour in children
      • Join the fire cadets
      • Scout and Guide groups - awards and badges
      • Young drivers
      • Work experience
Search

People often search for...

When should I test my smoke alarm?
Home safety visits
Thatch fire safety
Report a problem with a fire hydrant
How safe is my heater?
Chimney fires

Contact

  • Contact us
Accessibility Tool
  • Zoom in
  • Zoom out
  • Reset
  • Contrast
  • Accessibility help

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. What safety advice are you looking for?
  3. Bonfire safety
FacebookTwitterEmailWhatsappMessenger Share

Bonfire safety

Advice on how to have a bonfire safely. Learn what you shouldn't burn on a bonfire, when you can have a bonfire and find out what to do if a neighbour is having nuisance bonfires.

A bonfire at night time. The background is entirely black, and the bonfire is burning orange and yellow.

Six steps to having a safe bonfire

  1. If you must have a bonfire, use a metal incinerator to contain it, and locate it well away from anything flammable. This includes trees, long, dry grass, sheds, houses, garages and cars. Make sure it is not underneath any electricity cables.
  2. Follow our advice on what you shouldn’t burn – see ‘what not to burn’ on this webpage.
  3. Tell us when you’re having a bonfire by calling on 0333 399 0014. This is so we can check in with you if we receive any 999 calls reporting a fire in the same area, which stops us from sending firefighters out to bonfires when they’re not needed.
  4. Stay with your bonfire at all times. Keep a bucket of water or a hose nearby, and have a way of calling for help in case of emergencies, such as your mobile phone. 
  5. Keep pets and children at a safe distance away from the bonfire and never leave them alone with a burning fire.
  6. Make sure the fire is completely out before you leave it. When the bonfire is finishing, spray it with water to stop it from restarting. The embers can stay hot for a long time so make sure it’s cool before you leave it unattended.

What not to burn

  • fuel (for example, petrol, diesel or paraffin)
  • household rubbish (for example, plastics)
  • aerosol cans
  • lighter fluid
  • tyres
  • fireworks
  • gas canisters
  • foam
  • paint
  • anything wet.
Two firefighters extinguishing a shed that had been burned black from an out of control bonfire.

Reporting bonfires

Do not call us to report someone having a bonfire unless it is an emergency.

If someone is burning bonfires regularly this may be considered a nuisance. Check your local council website for their information on how to report nuisance bonfires. There are also rules about garden bonfires on the government website. 

Incident gallery

These are photos from incidents we've attended where bonfires have spread out of control. 

A firefighter extinguishing black, burned grass where an out of control bonfire had spread.
1 of 4
A close-up of foam spraying out and extinguishing the fire, covering the impacted hedge and trees white.
2 of 4
A firefighter extinguishing where the fire had spread to a hedge with foam, turning the brown, burned ground and nearby tree white.
3 of 4
A photo of an out of control bonfire spreading across a hedgerow in field, with lots of black smoke floating up into the sky.
4 of 4

Firework safety

Find out more

Wildfire safety advice

Find out more

What to do if there's a fire in your home

Find out more

Footer menu

  • Home
  • About us
      • Our people
      • Our fire stations
      • Fleet and equipment
      • How we respond to emergency calls
      • Community Risk Management Plan
      • In your area
      • Information and data transparency
      • What we spend
      • Our performance
      • Request information
      • Have your say
      • Developing our Service
      • Our environmental strategy
      • Equality and diversity
      • Work with us
      • Community events
      • Customer Charter
      • Fire Authority
      • Fire, rescue and safety training (Red One)
      • Firefighters' pensions board
  • Safety advice
      • Safety at home
      • Business safety
      • Safety outdoors
      • Safety on the road
    • Newsroom
      • Incidents
      • News
      • Events
      • Social media
    • Careers
        • Vacancies
        • Become an on-call firefighter
        • Become a wholetime firefighter
        • The role of a firefighter
        • The role of a fire control operator
        • Support staff roles
        • Looking after our people
        • Pay rates
        • Benefits
        • Request a careers talk
    • Education and young people
        • Early years, reception and year one
        • Primary schools
        • Secondary schools
        • Safety resources for children and young people
        • Fire starting behaviour in children
        • Join the fire cadets
        • Scout and Guide groups - awards and badges
        • Young drivers
        • Work experience

Translate the website

Footer contact

  • Contact us

Staff login

Always call 999 in an emergency

Did you find this page useful

  • Yes
  • No

Follow us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Follow us
  • Print this page

Footer bottom

  • Our website
  • Sitemap
  • Cookies
  • Privacy notices
  • Modern Slavery Act 2015
  • Accessibility

Disability Confident employer logoEmployers Network for Equality and Inclusion logoBritish Quality Foundation logoEmployers network for equality and inclusion logoFire pride and allies logo Armed Forces Covenant