Illegal sky lanterns spark fire in Morro Bay

Illegal use of sky lanterns sparked a vegetation fire in Morro Bay on Saturday night, the city says.

Residents had reported seeing two sky lanterns — or floating candles — in the area prior to the start of the fire adjacent to Zanzibar Street.

“A quick response and action of our local firefighters kept the fire on the steep hillside to an acre,” the city said in a Facebook post.

Five Morro Bay engines responded to the fire, with assistance from County/Cal Fire.

Sky lanterns, which support an open flame, are illegal to use in Morro Bay and are in violation of California state fire codes. The city asks that anyone who sees sky lanterns call 911 to report the location.

The vegetation fire came as thousands of firefighters battled more than a dozen fires throughout California. On the Central Coast on Monday, crews were fighting the Parkfield Fire near San Miguel, Stone Fire near Santa Margarita, the Whittier Fire near Lake Cachuma and the Alamo Fire near Santa Maria. The Alamo Fire is the largest fire in the state.

This story was originally published July 10, 2017 at 7:36 AM with the headline "Illegal sky lanterns spark fire in Morro Bay."