Worries about fires are grounding sky lanterns

They look like small hot-air balloons made of paper, rising and glowing in the night, propelled by the heated air of a flame. Sky lanterns, also known as Chinese lanterns, are popular at weddings and birthdays or as part of memorials for loved ones.

But they are becoming a fire concern for officials in many metro Detroit communities and elsewhere, with leaders discussing or approving bans on the sale or use of the items, which they say are not considered fireworks under state law.

"It's a no-brainer. You're lighting something on fire and sending it up in the air," said Mayor Michael Taylor of Sterling Heights, the latest community considering a ban. "We're very comfortable we have the legal right to do (the ban) and it's the right thing to do."

He points to an incident in 2013 when a sky lantern landed on the roof of a resident's home on the Fourth of July. The resident saw it and extinguished it. Taylor said had the resident not been home "who knows what damage it could have caused."

Sterling Heights Fire Chief Chris Martin said there were five or six runs in which sky lanterns landed in trees and on wires and were burning around the Fourth of July. No structures were damaged, he said, adding, "I want to be proactive before that happens."

But several owners of fireworks stores, where sky lanterns mostly are sold, said they aren't aware of problems with the devices. One owner said bans won't be enforceable because sky lanterns are considered fireworks.

"I think they're making a mistake. The No. 1 reason is they haven't had any incidents," Pro Fireworks owner James Stajos said of efforts by the latest community — Sterling Heights — where the City Council is discussing a ban on the sale and use of sky lanterns. "We have sold millions of these sky lanterns. They can do whatever they want. We don't believe (a ban) is enforceable."

Taylor and other officials disagree, saying sky lanterns are not a part of the 2011 fireworks law, and they can pass ordinances preventing their use, sale or both.

The fireworks law currently is under fire because of noise and safety issues, with efforts to repeal the measure, which allows fireworks to be used the day before, the day of and the day after 10 federal holidays.

Fireworks sales are revenue-makers in Michigan, totaling $26.4 million in fiscal year 2014, according to a consumer fireworks report from Michigan's Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. The Consumer Product Safety Commission received reports of 11 non-occupational fireworks-related deaths in 2014 and an estimated 10,500 injuries.

Sterling Heights' proposed ordinance recognizes an exception for sky lanterns for religious ceremonies as long as the sky lanterns are tethered, attended and retrieved by the user. The council is expected to vote on its proposed ordinance Aug. 18.

Last month, Canton officials approved a ban on the use of sky lanterns, Supervisor Phil LaJoy said, adding that the devices are "just not a good idea. There's just so many people. It's a vastly populated area."

Allen Park also is considering a similar ban, said Ed Cann, deputy fire chief and fire marshal.

"There are many, many bans around us," he said.

Cann said while the lanterns are "very beautiful," he finds it troubling than anything airborne, lit by an amateur, is allowed.

"It's at the mercy of the wind and the downdrafts and so forth," he said.

Sky lanterns are made of oiled rice paper with a bamboo frame, according to the National Fire Protection Association. The group states that a candle or wax fuel cell is used with the device and the lit flame heats the inside of the lantern, causing it to rise.

The association states that once airborne, the sky lantern can travel more than a mile and that wind can affect the sky lantern, blowing the sides, forcing the hot air out and sending the flaming lantern to the ground. The sky lantern could land on buildings, trees or wires, causing damage and injuries.

But Stajos said the sky lantern comes down when the flame is out.

Sky lanterns' use is prohibited by the National Fire Protection Association code requirements. The National Association of State Fire Marshals also adopted a resolution urging all states to ban the use of sky lanterns, according to material in the Sterling Heights council packet.

In its proposed ordinance, the city stated there have been incidents involving sky lanterns in the last several years, including $9 million in damage at a plastics recycling plant in England. In May, sky lanterns drifted into a cell tower in North Carolina causing it to ignite. It also states that nine countries, seven states and 11 communities throughout Michigan have banned sky lanterns with others allowing their use if they are tethered to the ground and monitored.

In Allen Park, fire officials have not had any fire or 911 calls related to sky lanterns, Cann said, but residents have provided verbal and photographic evidence of sky lanterns, still aflame, landing on roofs and needing to be extinguished with garden hoses prior to July 4.

Stajos, who has a fireworks store in Sterling Heights, said sky lanterns fit into the fireworks category "100%." He said there is "no way the Sterling Heights ordinance will be enforceable and I will be the first to test it. We feel we are in a very good position here."

Mike Burda, owner of Motor City Fireworks with 11 permanent and seasonal locations through Michigan, said sky lanterns "are a great thing to have fun and celebrate."

He said if sky lanterns start fires and cause danger, that is something that needs to be discussed, but "I've never heard of anything happening because of sky lanterns."

A ban on their use and sale, Burda added, "would definitely have a negative impact on our off-season business."

Contact Christina Hall: chall99@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.