Fire services warn of Chinese lantern fire risk to farms

THE hot, dry weather has prompted Fire and Rescue services across the South West to warn people about the dangers of using Chinese flying lanterns near farmland.

Farmers have alerted fire services about the hazards the paper lanterns pose to their crops and livestock.

Adam Martin, crew manager for Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "If you are using these lanterns, you cannot control the direction they will take or where they will land. There is no guarantee the flame will be fully extinguished when the lantern descends and that presents a real fire hazard. Not all lanterns are made of fire retardant paper, which can cause the outer skin to ignite easily."

The paper lanterns are supported by a wire frame that incorporates a holder at the base for a candle. The metal frame and holder can be swallowed by grazing livestock after landing in fields when the lantern has disintegrated.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service has joined up with the National Farmers Union (NFU) to remind party-goers of the risks of lighting the lanterns.

NFU acting director of communications Terry Jones said: "We have given manufacturers, as well as suppliers, time to take on board our concerns over the sale of lanterns and move to a safer and more environmentally friendly solution.

"The overwhelming majority of NFU council members feel that the UK should follow the example set by other countries such as Germany and Australia and ban them outright, thereby ending any possible future harm to livestock, wildlife and the environment."

Mr Jones said the NFU had received numerous reports of harm to livestock, and in some instances death, caused by cattle ingesting the metal wires. Stephen Bartlett, a farmer at Mudford who has had lanterns fall on his land, said the metal frames end up being cut into inch-long sections by the forage machinery during hay and silage making for winter fodder.

Lantern wire can be swallowed by livestock

He said: "The wire is small enough to be digested yet large enough to cause bleeding or blockages in animals' stomachs,." adding that the small pieces of metal wire were not detectable by the metal detectors on the silage making machinery.

A spokesman for Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said that locations that should be considered unsuitable for flying lanterns include areas with crops and livestock, anywhere near buildings with thatched roofs, areas of dense woodland and areas of heath or bracken, especially in dry conditions. He added that consideration should also be given to the proximity to major roads or airfields.