A sky lantern started a wildfire Saturday in the town of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin that burned 15 acres before firefighters could contain it.
Below is an excerpt from an article in the Wisconsin State Journal:
…The fire was between a half-mile and a mile from the road, so access was difficult, Fire Chief Christopher Garrison said in a release.
Strong winds caused the fire to spread quickly, and it eventually burned more than 15 acres of parkland, Garrison said.
The fire was caused by a sky lantern being released during an organized candlelight ski, hike, and snowshoe event. No injuries were reported, Garrison said.
Due to the difficult access, fire crews requested brush trucks and ATVs from other departments to help put out the fire.
Sky lanterns are small plastic or paper covered hot air balloons powered by an open flame. They can travel uncontrolled for more than a mile, sometimes landing while the fire is still burning.
Twintynine states ban sky lanterns, with Massachusetts and Nebraska being the most recent. They are not banned state-wide in Wisconsin.
UPDATE February 29, 2016: Neal Mulconrey, after reading this post, contacted to let us know that last year a sky lantern started a fire that burned within 50 feet of a residence in Beverly Shores, Indiana. Mr. Mulconrey, who works for the fire management organization in Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, said that since the fire started at night it spread slowly and their firefighters were able to stop the spread before it grew large.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Jim.
