Sky lanterns are so beautiful, so delicate, such an artful display of…well, we don’t actually know what. We do know this: they’re officially a fire hazard. One of the floating balloons with a candle mounted inside was released during a candlelight ski, hike and snowshoe gathering yesterday in Wisconsin. It landed still alight, causing a 15-acre blaze. Apparently skiers and snowshoers released the floating candles during the event.
Warm winter conditions dried up the grasses surrounding McCarthy Park in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Fire crews arrived on the scene and the park was on fire. The source was a mile or so off the main road so firefighters had trouble accessing the blaze. Brush trucks and ATVs with work crews swarmed the inferno. Strong winds fueled the flames that burned more than 15 acres even though crews were able to bring the fire under control in a relatively short time.
Sky lanterns have certainly been en vogue at weddings, funerals, Fourth of July and New Year’s celebration. But it might be time to shelve the trend?
Sky lanterns caused fires in Santa Rosa, Calif., in early February.
