As if California needed any more fire. it has been reported that some people have decided to release paper lanterns while the wildfires rage only miles away.
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The paper lanterns, shown being launched from a beach near Santa Barbara, can travel as far as 5 miles.
While enjoying an evening on the beach, a TikToker witnessed a group of people releasing paper lanterns into the air. At first, they stayed quiet, but as more and more were set off, they began to get annoyed. One, in particular, began to drift off towards the nearby mountains.
California, especially in the south, is a tinderbox at the moment. Amid water shortages and a high demand for emergency services, the state is stretched thin. The last thing they need is another fire breaking out.
Paper Lanterns Launchers Confronted
Enough was enough for the woman witnessing the careless revelers. She whipped out her phone and began to record as she accosted them. "Have you even gone down to LA? Do you even know what's happening?" she asked.
According to them, they had a permit to launch the lanterns. Despite paper lanterns being illegal in California, they said they had permission to go ahead. Apparently, they were for a memorial. However, permit it or not, the angry Tiktoker wasn't having it.
She explained that she had been working with people devastated by the wildfires raging through LA. She appealed to their common sense and responsibility in the face of the obvious danger. Sure, they may want to set the paper lanterns off but think about the consequences if something went awry.
Her attempt to appeal to their sense of reason fell on deaf ears. They refused to stop their ceremony and continued to launch the little, airborne, fire starters. But, enough was enough for the woman, and they decided to get the police involved instead.
Shortly after, the local enforcement tuned up and shut them down. Permit or not, there is a time and a place to start setting off paper lanterns, and miles from the biggest wildfire California has ever seen probably, isn't it.
