The women are being investigated on suspicion of negligent arson, a prosecutor said
Police stand in front of a burned-out monkey house, at Krefeld zoo, in western Germany, on Jan. 2, 2020.Three women are under investigation in Germany for launching paper sky lanterns for the new year which apparently ignited a devastating fire that killed more than 30 animals at a zoo, officials said Thursday.
The women are being investigated on suspicion of negligent arson, prosecutor Jens Frobel said. The offence can carry a prison sentence of up to five years.Many Germans welcome in the new year legally with fireworks at midnight. Sky lanterns, however, are both illegal and unusual in Germany. The mini hot-air balloons made of paper have been used in Asia for centuries.
Hoppmann said the women had ordered five sky lanterns on the internet and told authorities that they had believed they were legal in Germany. He added that there was nothing in the product description showing that they were banned. Investigators believe that just one lantern started the blaze. They found the other four later, with handwritten good wishes for the new year attached.
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