Build it, and they will come, goes the saying... but not if it comes crashing to the ground first. This was the scene on an estate in Northern Ireland after a 40ft stack of tyres, due to be set alight as part of an annual loyalist celebration, collapsed today. The bonfire had been prepared for the Eleventh Night, a reference to the night before July 12 - a Protestant commemoration of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. High hopes... This bonfire had been prepared for the Eleventh Night, a reference to the night before July 12 - a Protestant commemoration of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 . ... but what a let-down . The 40ft-high stack, built on the Ballycraigy estate in Antrim, Northern Ireland, collapsed today . And while some residents in Ballycraigy, Antrim, might have welcomed the bonfire, others would have been more wary - as the tower was built perilously close to homes. The structure, comprising more than 25 layers of tyres and pallets, came tumbling to the ground under its own weight, according to website UTV. Sometimes stacked by their thousands, the tyres in such bonfires around the region cast a plume of fire - and thick, toxic smoke caused by the burning plastic - high into the night sky. It is illegal to burn the tyres, which emit toxic fumes - and bonfire committee workers had previously removed stacks in the area on safety grounds. While some residents might have welcomed the bonfire, others would have been more wary - as the tower was built perilously close to homes . The structure, comprising more than 25 layers of tyres and pallets, tumbled to the ground under its own weight . It is illegal to burn the tyres, which emit toxic fumes - and bonfire committee workers had previously removed stacks in the area on safety grounds . The Ballycraigy pyre came crashing down just days before it was due to be lit . Their concerns are echoed by the . Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS), which advises those building . and attending the bonfires to consider the risks. 'If we are called out to attend a . bonfire-related incident, I am asking the community for their support to . ensure that firefighters are able to carry out their job without fear . of attack or harassment,' Assistant Chief Fire Officer Dale Ashford . said. Last year, there was a significant . drop in the number of bonfire-related incidents - down from 49 call-outs . between 6pm on July 11 and 8am on July 12 in 2011, to 29 during the . same period in 2012. Loyalists stand around a bonfire in the early hours of July 12 in 2000 in north Belfast . The Battle of the Boyne on July 1, 1690 proved to be one of the major turning points in Irish history. Around 36,000 troops commanded by King William III defeated an army of approximately 25,000 troops led by King James II along the river Boyne near the town of Drogheda. The victory of Protestant William over the forces of England's Catholic king created a Protestant ascendency in the Emerald Isle - most notably in the Ulster region. In Northern Ireland, the Eleventh Night refers to the night before the Twelfth of July, an annual Protestant commemoration of the famous battle. On this night, large towering bonfires are lit - with Irish flags place on top - in many Protestant, unionist and loyalist communities where it is also known as 'bonfire night'.
Was due to be lit night before July 12 in Protestant commemoration of Battle of Boyne in 1690 .
Stack of more than 25 layers tumbled down under its own weight .
Built perilously close to houses on Ballycraigy estate in Antrim .
Build it, and they will come, goes the saying... but not if it comes crashing to the ground first. This was the scene on an estate in Northern Ireland after a 40ft stack of tyres, due to be set alight as part of an annual loyalist celebration, collapsed today. The bonfire had been prepared for the Eleventh Night, a reference to the night before July 12 - a Protestant commemoration of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. High hopes... This bonfire had been prepared for the Eleventh Night, a reference to the night before July 12 - a Protestant commemoration of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 . ... but what a let-down . The 40ft-high stack, built on the Ballycraigy estate in Antrim, Northern Ireland, collapsed today . And while some residents in Ballycraigy, Antrim, might have welcomed the bonfire, others would have been more wary - as the tower was built perilously close to homes. The structure, comprising more than 25 layers of tyres and pallets, came tumbling to the ground under its own weight, according to website UTV. Sometimes stacked by their thousands, the tyres in such bonfires around the region cast a plume of fire - and thick, toxic smoke caused by the burning plastic - high into the night sky. It is illegal to burn the tyres, which emit toxic fumes - and bonfire committee workers had previously removed stacks in the area on safety grounds. While some residents might have welcomed the bonfire, others would have been more wary - as the tower was built perilously close to homes . The structure, comprising more than 25 layers of tyres and pallets, tumbled to the ground under its own weight . It is illegal to burn the tyres, which emit toxic fumes - and bonfire committee workers had previously removed stacks in the area on safety grounds . The Ballycraigy pyre came crashing down just days before it was due to be lit . Their concerns are echoed by the . Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS), which advises those building . and attending the bonfires to consider the risks. 'If we are called out to attend a . bonfire-related incident, I am asking the community for their support to . ensure that firefighters are able to carry out their job without fear . of attack or harassment,' Assistant Chief Fire Officer Dale Ashford . said. Last year, there was a significant . drop in the number of bonfire-related incidents - down from 49 call-outs . between 6pm on July 11 and 8am on July 12 in 2011, to 29 during the . same period in 2012. Loyalists stand around a bonfire in the early hours of July 12 in 2000 in north Belfast . The Battle of the Boyne on July 1, 1690 proved to be one of the major turning points in Irish history. Around 36,000 troops commanded by King William III defeated an army of approximately 25,000 troops led by King James II along the river Boyne near the town of Drogheda. The victory of Protestant William over the forces of England's Catholic king created a Protestant ascendency in the Emerald Isle - most notably in the Ulster region. In Northern Ireland, the Eleventh Night refers to the night before the Twelfth of July, an annual Protestant commemoration of the famous battle. On this night, large towering bonfires are lit - with Irish flags place on top - in many Protestant, unionist and loyalist communities where it is also known as 'bonfire night'.
to the night before July 12 - a Protestant commemoration of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. before July 12 - a Protestant commemoration of Ballycraigy estate in Antrim, Northern Ireland, the tower was built perilously close to homes. The structure, comprising more than 25 layers of under its own weight, according to website UTV.