TUPPER LAKE - The Tupper Lake Chamber of Commerce had hoped to hold a lantern-lighting ceremony Wednesday night dedicated to missing teenager Colin Gillis, but that's been called off.
Officials are concerned the 200 "sky lanterns," paper lanterns with a lit candle in them that rise into the sky after they are lit, would be a fire hazard.
State Department of Environmental Conservation spokesman David Winchell said the current conditions - lack of snow, plenty of dead, dry vegetation and unusually high temperatures with no rain expected - make DEC officials concerned about the danger of a fire spreading.
Article Photos
Colin Gillis
(Photo provided)
Tupper Lake Events Coordinator Faith Bedore said she's going to look for other ideas for a fundraiser. She said she hopes no one bears any ill-will to the DEC since the organization was such a huge help throughout the search process.
"They have been so wonderful to the Gillis family," Bedore said.
The money the chamber hopes to raise would be donated to a fund set up with Community Bank to support the Gillis family through their search for their son.
Eighteen-year-old Tupper Laker Colin Gillis went missing last weekend after leaving a party on foot and was last seen at about 1:45 a.m. Sunday, March 11, near the line between Franklin and St. Lawrence counties, where Tupper Lake meets Piercefield.
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Contact Jessica Collier at 518-891-2600 ext. 25 or jcollier@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.