Hi all
Last evening, a little after 6, there was a knock on the door, it was the neighbour who lives across from the back of our house. He told me that there was a fire on my roof. I quickly rushed outside and looked up to see two small flames sitting on the roof.
"I bet that's one of those Chinese lanterns," I said to him.
The flames were small and one went out as we watched. My wife wanted to call the fire brigade, but I said it wasn't necessary and the second fire soon went out.
There is a flat roofed concrete shed out in the back garden, I climbe don top of this with a ladder and the torch from my Powertank. Shining the light on the roof I could see the the fires were out and there was no damage, all that was left behind were what looked like two wads of dirty cotton wool and an orange hoop. This confirmed my belief that it was a Chinese lantern.
Do the people who launch these ridiculous things not realise that they are sending fire up into the sky and that it has to come down somewhere?
I believe that it is reckless behaviour and anyone who says that it is just harmless fun has never had a close encounter with one.
We were lucky this time, but how long will it be before one of them lands on the head of someone and causes some serious harm?
Paul
Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better programs, and the universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the universe is winning.
Rich Cook
  