Lantern Festival raises questions about fire safety

A woman who lost her home in the 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire is part of an effort to stop a scheduled event that features open flames and lanterns.

Christy Nixon, who lives in rebuilt Mountain Shadows, said she and her sister want to see the April 25 Lantern Fest at the Pikes Peak International Raceway cancelled.

“No, I won’t be any part of it,” she said.

Nixon said last weekend’s grass fire behind the raceway should prove that the fire risk for the Lantern Fest is too high.

“We can’t predict the what-ifs,” she said.

The Fountain Fire Department said in last year’s event, about 3,000 spectators lighted small flames on lanterns and the heat from the flames lifted the lanterns into the air as high as 1,000 feet.

The department, whose jurisdiction includes the raceway, said the lanterns quickly burn out and fall to the ground safely without sparking fires. Lanterns were found as far as a mile away from the raceway, the department said.

“They (lanterns) are biodegradable and flame resistant,” said Fire Chief Darin Anstine. “We also had two fire (vehicles) patrolling around the area.”

Scott Campbell, fire management officer for El Paso County, said he wasn’t familiar with the festival but knows how similar festivals operate.

“If the area is mowed or if it rains, that would lessen the danger,” he said. “The festival is probably no worse than a fixed fireworks shoot. And it happens at night when the fire danger is a lot lower. These things can be done in a very safe manner.”

Nixon isn’t convinced.

“It might be safe at (the raceway) but what if the wind changes or if something dramatic happens?” she said.

The festival organization is based in Salt Lake City and stages similar events in seven other cities. Representatives were unavailable for comment Monday, but the festival’s website explains that organizers employ professionals to recover 90 percent of lanterns after the event.

To see the Lantern Fest website, visit: http://www.thelanternfest.com/#home.