Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service Chinese Lantern safety

Chinese lanterns are used as a great way to celebrate Christmas and New Year and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service want to remind those using them to take care.

The lanterns need to be lit accompanied by fuel which can be dangerous. Last year, a family in Trowbridge had a lucky escape when a Chinese lantern set fire to their home.

Neil Chamberlain, the Watch Manager for Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "With Chinese Lanterns, you're basically throwing a naked flame into the sky with no control over the direction it will take or where it will land."

Lanterns should be lit from a very far distance away from buildings, privately owned land, vehicles and other people. 

When releasing the lantern into the sky it should be fed into the wind and not forced into the sky which could splash fuel onto someone.

The fuel used in lanterns is highly flammable.

The Chinese lantern can be lit and gently released into the sky which the Chinese traditionally believe if you light a lantern your wish will come true.

"Chinese lanterns are very attractive when they're in the sky and we fully understand why people use them. We would just urge anyone who's thinking of buying some for the festive period to think very carefully about where they will be released," Neil Chamberlain added. 

An advice sheet on how to stay safe when using Chinese lanterns can be found at the Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service's website: www.wiltsfire.gov.uk.