Fire bosses have issued a fresh plea for the public to avoid lighting sky lanterns, describing a recent attempt by companies to market them as a means of showing support for NHS workers as “misguided”.
Emergency services have long described how the flimsy items – which often comprise a thin wire frame inside a paper shell containing a tealight – pose a fire risk to property and wildlife, as well as to livestock.
They have been linked to large fires while farmers have reported animals becoming entangled in the wire detritus once it has burned out and fallen from the sky.
Roy Wilsher, NFCC chairman, said: “Setting off sky lanterns is misguided.
“While I fully understand people wanting to show their support to the NHS, I would encourage people to find a different way to do this.
“NFCC does not advocate the use of sky lanterns and we do not believe they should be used under any circumstances.
“If a sky lantern causes a fire, it could see firefighters spending valuable time dealing with what could be a complex and large-scale incident – time which could be spent supporting vulnerable people in the community, as part of the fire services response to Covid-19.”
An investigation found that a sky lantern was to blame for a major blaze at a recycling centre in Smethwick, near Birmingham, in 2013, which was tackled by 200 firefighters over several days and caused £6 million of damage.
