The 2015 Gastonia Lantern Festival turned out to be a bigger light show than organizers had planned, as some of the lanterns caught a nearby cell tower on fire.
On May 2, attendees of this year’s lantern festival in Gastonia were witness to thousands of flame retardant, biodegradable lanterns that rose into the sky at dusk. Suddenly, an especially large and totally unanticipated light show occurred when a shift in wind sent the lanterns mischievously off course
Several burning lanterns found their way to a nearby cell phone tower, which then caught fire. Craig Huffstetler, Chief of the Union Road Volunteer Fire Department, was on hand and saw the whole situation unfold in front of him.
The fire department was at the event in case of an injury or on the chance that a lantern might ignite a brush fire. The situation confronting them was a lot more challenging than any they had expected to encounter. In addition to having no fire hydrants nearby, the department’s ladder truck was unable to reach high enough on the cell tower to fight the fire.
Thanks to help from a neighboring department, 20 firefighters and almost 6,000 gallons of water were able to extinguish the fire. When fundraising time comes around for the Union Road Fire Department, a postcard printing service could be employed to provide a pictorial reminder of this event.
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495 E. Long Avenue
Gastonia, NC 28054
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Tue: 8:30 - 5:00
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