‘Chinese lanterns can be dangerous’
The glowing flare turned out to be a Chinese lantern.
DEAR EDITOR,-
Some sad soul who felt deprived they could not kick off their New Year with a bang, on account of the rain, decided they had the full right to fire off one of the biggest firework displays around, which of course resulted in an explosion that sent my dog running for the hills in an effort to escape.
While managing to retrieve my dog, I saw a glowing object in the trees and initially thought that someone had sent off a rescue flare from the beachfront. However, on closer examination, I found that the glowing flare was not actually a flare, but the flame of a Chinese lantern that had got stuck in the tree. What perturbed me the most was that the tree was in our yard, only a few metres from our thatch roof which could easily have caught alight within seconds if the lantern had landed on the roof.
The next morning I took photographs of thelantern that had fallen from the tree and landed on our fence. What was more concerning was that straight after the lantern went out that evening, another one was launched into the atmosphere within a few hundred metres, on the other side of the house.
People should be very aware that these lanterns are potentially dangerous, even life-threatening and must refrain from letting them off.
COLE CONWAY
