From: Andrew Johnson
Date: 2005-11-19 18:24:36
From Bill Bimson: I have just been reading about the M25 UFOs in the Tale Enders section and it is common knowledge now that most of the sightings around the Essex area have been caused by Fire Balloons also known as Thai or Chinese lanterns. In fact the web reference you gave www.ufos-aliens.co.uk has an update on it describing something about the lanterns. I have now included Fire Balloons in project IFO www.mara.org/Project… and there are some pictures in there of what they look like, some of which came from the Southend UFO group. One of the places that have been known to launch these fire balloons by the dozen at wedding receptions is Leez Priory www.brideshead.co.uk… when I contacted them to find out how often they launched them, they claimed that they had only done it once. I personally think that the launch of these balloons is irresponsible because they are known to be a serious fire hazard to buildings and trees and also, you have no control over where they come down, so even if they don’t cause a fire, they will litter the countryside with plastic bags and bits of balsa. They could also cause an accident on a motorway if someones attention is distracted or a decending balloon sticks to a windscreen. I contacted Essex Fire Brigade fire safety department to ask their opinion on the launch of these balloons and they said they didn’t have a policy on it because they had no knowledge of them, but they did state that anything which has a naked flame and can drift away with the wind is an obvious fire hazard. Anyway, I thought I should let you know about this in case you get any more similar reports. Cheers, Bill Bimson www.mara.org.uk To help you stay safe and secure online, we’ve developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre.
