Date: March 2012
Time: Evenings.
Vike Factor Note: I would like to thank the gentleman for sending in the information.
Hello Mr. Vike, several night watchmen at my company have seen the orange light a number of times this week. We believe that Chinese lanterns are the culprit. They are being launched several times a week now from the Redlands or Loma Linda area.
The balloons use a burning fuel cell sometimes made of wax. They can fly for around 20 minutes before going out. Just before the lantern go out it drops streams of burning wax all over the ground, then flicker out.
This is only a problem when the lanterns hover at 10-20 feet off the ground where they could start a fire. From even a small distance at night they just appear to be an orange fire hovering around the mountain side.
The manufacturers of the product claim their lanterns are completely biodegradable.
I don't think these are safe to be launching into the heavy commercial, private and Military air traffic that fills the San Bernardo night sky, or sending flammables hovering over the San Bernardino mountains range which is on fire nearly all spring and summer each year.
