11th JULY celebrations got underway across Northern Ireland last night, with an estimated 150 bonfires being lit across the region.
This includes a new record-breaking bonfire which was lit in Craigyhill, Larne. According to the official Guinness World Records the record for the tallest structure stands at 198 feet and 11 inches, while the Craigyhill bonfire has been measured at a height of 202.37208 ft by an independent land survey company.
A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) said that between 6pm and 2am, it received a total of 203 emergency 999 calls which resulted in firefighters responding to 98 operational incidents.
"During this period we attended 35 bonfire related incidents," they said. "This represents a 12.5% decrease in bonfire incidents during the same timeframe in 2021.
“Peak activity was between 11pm and 1am.
“NIFRS maintained normal emergency response throughout the evening, attending a range of operational incidents including special service calls, a road traffic collision and other emergencies.”
The activities come after the death of a man in his thirties who fell from a bonfire over the weekend.
The annual Orange Order parades which celebrate the Battle of the Boyne, when William of Orange - also known as King Billy - defeated the Catholic King James II in 1690, are to take place today.
More than one third of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) - 2,500 officers - are on duty today across 18 locations where parades are taking place.
The 24-hour operation has cost more than £1m in previous years.
The grand secretary of the Orange Order, the Reverend Mervyn Gibson, said he was looking forward to a "great day" after the limited events in 2020 and 2021.
"We had a Twelfth at home and then a Twelfth near home. This day, the Twelfth's coming home," he told BBC News NI's Good Morning Ulster.
GB News are to provide coverage of the day's activities after the BBC announced in June that it has decided no to resume live coverage of Belfast's Twelfth of July parade, and instead will produce an hour-long BBC programme this evening featuring events at eight locations.
The broadcaster will cover this year's parade live from Armagh city with former Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster as lead commentator.
See More: Northern Ireland, Orange Order, Twelfth Of July
