Sky lantern wish sets Taipei resident's laundry on fire as tourists look on
A video posted by a Singaporean on holiday in Taiwan has set the internet ablaze.
TikTokker flomill1shi posted the video on Sept 12 with the title, "When you're happily setting your wish lantern in the air and this happens."
While tourists are seen setting their sky lanterns off on a Taipei street, a woman living on the second floor of a building looks distraught: the clothes she hung out to dry are on fire, ignited by a sky lantern that caught fire after landing on her balcony.
She tosses the smoking frame off her balcony, and it bounces off the awning below and onto the street. Several bystanders look up, but nobody seems bothered as her laundry continues to burn.
The video had garnered 1.6 million views, 54,100 reactions, and 760 comments at press time.
A sky lantern works like a hot air balloon. It is made of waxed paper wrapped over a thin wire frame with the bottom open, with a collar to hold a candle in place. As the air in the lantern heats up, its density is lowered so the lantern floats.
It is a tradition in China, Taiwan, and Thailand to release such lanterns with wishes written on them and Shifen Sky Lantern Square in Taipei is one popular destination where tourists can do this.
"This is not funny at all! Poor auntie," said one TikTok user, in response to the episode being used as a Jet2 Holiday meme.
Someone asked flomill1shi: "The only thing i want to know - did you go say sorry to her and pay the clothes money?"
But the original poster said the lantern was not hers.
Many comments were critical of the practice, considering the potential fire hazard and environmental damage.
"Sending your materialistic wishes on a plastic trash and that will end up somewhere as trash or may burn a forest or someone's stuff like in this video is quite selfish I'd say," said one user.
Others were astounded that nobody seemed concerned about the auntie's laundry.
"It's very disturbing to watch how nobody is reacting actively to a fire on very combustible items happening in real time. hello? it's a real fire, not some movie effect!" said a user.
"They should really be clamping down on this before it cause a bigger fire," said another.
The New Paper has reached out to flomill1shi for comment.
