This is Eleventh Night, where Ulster loyalists light massive bonfires to celebrate a battle long ago. The problem lies in the extremism often involved, with some bonfires organised by paramilitary groups in defiance of local authorities to demonstrate their ability to operate with impunity, built as big as possible, and positioned (along with parades) as a show of intimidation and dominance against the Irish republican nationalist community.

In recent years the bonfires have diversified, from being festooned with the Irish flag and “Kill All Irish” banners, to burning replicas of mosques and “Stop the Boats” and the Polish flag.

They’re effectively unregulated due to the threat of violence. Last year, a bonfire was placed so as to risk a critical electrical substation supplying two hospitals. The police refused to remove it because of the threat of rioting. On a wider scale the heat damage costs a fortune in road repair, and the blue dye in those pallets is highly toxic when burned. In the photo you see the houses boarded up to attempt to protect the homes from heat damage.

As you can imagine, at the height of a hot dry summer is the worst time to be lighting hundreds of these fires. The stress on emergency services is immense.