Flying lanterns warning after cathedral fire alert

Last updated at 11:27 29 August 2006


Fire chiefs warned today of the dangers of Chinese flying lanterns after one landed on the roof of an historic cathedral while still alight.

A passer-by saw the paper lantern land on top of Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire, where it caught fire and burned out as firefighters rushed to the 900-year-old building.

Malcolm Pinchin, from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "The wick of the flying lantern was still alight when it landed on the cathedral and the flame instantly set fire to the paper shell, causing a potentially devastating fire risk to the old wooden structures of the building.

"On this occasion we were lucky. If the lantern had set fire to the roof, we would have been facing a very serious incident, which would have devastated the cathedral.

"The protection of our heritage is particularly important as our history can never be replaced when a fire has destroyed a heritage building.

"We urge anyone who is considering launching these lanterns to follow the strict safety guidelines to avoid any potential fire risks."

The lanterns are made from paper and, with a naked flame wick as a heat source, they rise in the sky like miniature hot air balloons and are carried away on the wind until the flame dies out.

Fire crews searched the large cathedral roof with an aerial ladder platform to make sure no other lanterns had landed on the roof.

Winchester Cathedral is one of the oldest in the country with substantial parts dating from the Norman period. The building has the longest nave in Western Europe after St Peter's in Rome, and is the burial place of writer Jane Austen.

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