Pinal board declines to make exception for sky lanterns
by Mark Cowling | Apache Junction Central
Thai traditional new year balloon lanterns at night. Oran Tantapakul/Fotolia via Apache Junction Central
It appears the last sky lantern festival has been held in unincorporated Pinal County.
The festivals, in which thousands of paper lanterns are lit and sail off into the night sky, was a topic of discussion at Wednesday’s meeting of the Pinal County Board of Supervisors.
Supervisor Pete Rios, D-Dudleyville, and Deputy County Manager Himanshu Patel noted the 2018 International Fire Code the board recently approved prohibits “untethered sky lanterns.” But Patel added the county could take steps to amend the code or make exceptions if the board wished.
