It was one of the busiest nights of the year for fire crews

This was one of a series of attacks on firefighters across Northern Ireland as crowds lit bonfires and set off fireworks to celebrate 31 October, Halloween.

In another incident, a rocket was fired at an engine in Jonesborough, south Armagh.

In Belfast, a fire engine from Cadogan station on the Lisburn Road was forced off the road for a number of hours for repairs after a window was broken.

During a six-hour period on Sunday, firefighters responded to 370 calls.

Divisional Fire Officer John Smyth said this was up on the figure for Halloween night last year when there were 325 callouts.

It is of major concern to us that our appliances are still being attacked when they arrive to tackle fires John Smyth Divisional fire officer

"The majority of these were calls to bonfires and other mostly secondary fires like blazing hedges, ditches, rubbish skips.

"There were several incidents across the province where crews were attacked which is a cause for major concern.

"We had been working with local communities in the run-up to last night to try and reduce the number of secondary fires and arson attacks as well as attacks on our crews.

"It is of major concern to us that our appliances are still being attacked when they arrive to tackle fires. It was just luck that no-one was injured.

He said people must realise these attacks not only put firefighters at risk, but they put the public at risk.

"If a fire appliance is forced off the road, that could be critical on a busy night like last night. Thankfully that situation did not arise."

During a peak period between 2200 GMT and 2300 GMT, the divisional control room for Northern Ireland in Lisburn dealt with 50 incidents across the province simultaneously.

Ambulance damaged

In Londonderry on Sunday, an ambulance crew was attacked during Halloween celebrations.

Police said the ambulance was attacked by a crowd in Bank Place, sustaining damage to a wing mirror.

Nine people were arrested for public order offences throughout the night and most were later released.

A number of assaults were also reported.

Police said there were fewer arrests than last year, when 11 people were detained.

They also said the level of arrests was not atypical for a weekend night in the city.

All of the arrests occurred in the early hours of the morning after the Halloween celebrations had ended.

A spokesman for the Police Service of Northern Ireland praised those involved in Londonderry's celebrations.

"To have such a large crowd take part, we are pleased that the festivities were enjoyed and almost everyone was well-behaved," he said.