'Stupidity' mars Guy Fawkes

MARTIN DE RUYTER/Nelson Mail

NIGHT MAGIC: Nikkita Wells, 5, enjoys sparklers with Gemma Wells at Neale Park.

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"Mindless acts of stupidity" put a dampener on Guy Fawkes night for Nelson firefighters, while others managed to keep things calm.

Station officer Steve Shackleton of the Nelson Fire Service said firefighters attended nine or 10 callouts last night, including a number of deliberately lit fires.

Mr Shackleton said hundreds of mainly young people gathered at Tahunanui Beach to let off fireworks, and many of the calls the service attended were at the beach. He said there were so many fireworks that at one stage, it looked like the "Lions playground area was lit up".

Instead of letting off fireworks in the open space of the sports fields, some people let them off near bushes, he said.

"A lot of those fireworks have stuff that go up in the air, and I'm pretty sure they put fireworks right up to the bush and let them off, hoping stuff would catch fire."

Firefighters used 3000 litres of water to put out a bonfire on the beach, and also doused a deliberately lit fire in the bushes near Natureland.

A nikau palm at the beach also caught fire, from fireworks either being thrown into it or landing in it, he said.

Mr Shackleton said last night was busier than Guy Fawkes last year, and firefighters were preparing for busy nights tonight and tomorrow as many people saved their fireworks for the weekend.

As well as callouts at the beach, Nelson firefighters dealt with a bonfire in Brook St, lit right next to trees.

They also extinguished deliberately lit fires at the carpark on Queen Elizabeth II Dr and a skip fire outside the Nelson City Council. Flames were lapping at the building's street canopy when firefighters arrived, Mr Shackleton said.

He said firefighters were called back to the skip at 6am today, as it was still smouldering.

Senior Constable Phil Wylie of Nelson police said there were no arrests last night relating to Guy Fawkes. However, someone walking in Collingwood St reported that a person in a car had fired a firework at them.

There were no reports of fireworks mishaps or trouble in Motueka or Takaka.

In other parts of the country, the Fire Service had a reasonably relaxed Guy Fawkes night, on what is traditionally its busiest day of the year.