Fire risk fears

SHANE WENZLICK

POTENTIAL FIRE RISK: Senior fire risk management officer George Stephens with a flying lantern.

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The increasing popularity of flying lanterns has the New Zealand Fire Service worried about the serious fire risk they pose.

The National Rural Fire Authority is calling for a ban on their sale and has taken the matter to the Ministry of Commerce.

When a lantern's fuel cell is lit, the heat generated creates a mini hot air balloon, and the lantern rises into the sky.

The lanterns travel about seven kilometres and, when the fuel runs out after about 15 minutes, the lantern floats back to the ground.

The rural fire authority is urging New Zealanders not to use sky lanterns for private or public celebrations because it says the lanterns are not suitable for the New Zealand environment and could easily cause fires.

Although there has been only one reported fire caused by a flying lantern – a fire in a pine plantation in Northland – the fire service say prevention is the best cure.

Senior fire risk management officer George Stephens says the service does not want to stop people from having fun, but is asking them to think twice about using the lanterns.

"The issue we have is the potential for fires. The initial danger is starting them up because you are dealing with a naked flame.

"Then when they go up in the air, you don't know where or when they are going to come down."

He says if a fire is caused by a flying lantern in a rural area, and the person responsible is caught, they could be held liable for the costs.

"This could run into tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars – helicopters putting out vegetation fires is not cheap these days,"

Most lanterns have specific safety instructions and precautions but the fire service has no control over people actually following these instructions.

"The fire cell is flimsily secured to the wire frame and has real potential to disengage from the frame in early flight if not secured properly," Mr Stephens says.

Another potential problem arising from flying lanterns has been created by people mistaking them for flares and alerting their local Coastguard.

Maraetai Coastguard publicity officer John Webber says he is not aware of any incidents reported in its area, but the group is aware the lanterns could be disruptive.

"People mistaking them for flares and reporting an issue unnecessarily is a worry because something more serious could happen while Coastguards are on their way to a flying lantern," Mr Webber says.

- © Fairfax NZ News