Community Corner
Sky Lanterns Concern Wildwood Firefighters
The hot air balloon-like devices could present a fire hazard hazard, a Metro West Fire Protection District representative said.
An emerging party favor sold at fireworks stands around Wildwood puts an open flame at the mercy of the winds—a scenario Fox 2 St. Louis said has Metro West firefighters nervous.
The devices are called sky lanterns, and operate like a miniature hot air balloon. The lanterns have been around for centuries, but sale of the small paper crafts, which house an open flame, could pose a danger to structures or landscapes the crafts could hit, Deputy Chief Mike Krause said.
“It's an uncontrolled flame and it's at the whim of the currents of the winds,' Krause told Fox 2 St. Louis.
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KSDK-TV reported sky lanterns technically are not fireworks, but they are illegal in St. Louis and St. Louis County.
Krause told KSDK that people are "unleashing a flammable torch into the sky with zero control over where it's going."
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