Warning against sky lanterns

Palmerston North City Council is urging residents not to use sky lanterns for celebrations this summer because they can blow away and cause fires.

Sky lanterns, also known as flying lanterns, work on the same principle as hot air balloons. They are powered by tea-light candles that heat up the air inside paper lanterns. They can fly for several kilometres and reach heights of about 800 metres.

Rural fire officer Graeme McIntyre said he was concerned about the lanterns' growing popularity for use at weddings and other special occasions.

The region's variable winds and rolling-to-steep terrain meant that the lanterns could be blown into dry vegetation and and start fires, he said. They were designed for use in calm conditions, in wide open spaces, he said.

Mr McIntyre was particularly concerned that lanterns could be sold during Chinese New Year celebrations, which start on February 14.

The National Rural Fire Authority is pushing for a ban on the sale of sky lanterns.

- © Fairfax NZ News