Boy’s mother gives warning about Chinese lantern burns (From The Northern Echo)

Boy’s mother gives warning about Chinese lantern burns

9:07am Friday 27th August 2010 in

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A SCHOOLBOY could be scarred for life after a Chinese lantern fell on his face.

Callum Howard, 11, is feeding through a straw after the roof of his mouth, lips, chin and chest were burnt at a get-together in his family’s back yard in West Auckland, County Durham, on Saturday.

The lanterns, also known as sky or wish lanterns, glow when they rise because of the heat from a candle inside.

They originate from Asian cultures, but have become popular in the UK.

Callum’s mother, Andrea Howard, bought the lantern from Poundworld, in Bishop Auckland, after her son enjoyed experimenting with some on a camping trip.

She said she believes it was faulty because the light inside appeared to tip to one side and said the lantern plummeted to hit her son in the face.

She said: “At first it would not go up, so then I got hold of it and lit it again.

“Then it went as high as the house, but it came shooting back down and hit Callum.

“I was just standing there in By Rachel Wearmouth rachel.wearmouth@nne.co.uk shock, I couldn’t move. He was screaming and crying because his face was all burnt.”

An ambulance took Callum to Darlington Memorial Hospital for treatment.

Specialists have told him he could be permanently scarred.

Ms Howard, of Oakley Green, West Auckland, said her son was making a good recovery, but she wants to highlight the potential dangers of paper lanterns.

She said: “I am still angry. I am very worried he will be scarred.

“There was a girl in a shop yesterday saying she wanted to get a lantern, but I was so worried that I told her what happened to Callum.

“I want to warn people about it.”

A spokesman for Poundland said the chain was investigating.

The lanterns remained on sale yesterday.