A safety warning has been issued after a faulty flare fell into an Auckland garden last night.
A resident in Paritai Drive, Orakei, "received a fright", police said, when a burning flare landed in his garden, filling it with an intense red flame and smoke.
An investigation found the remains of a parachute flare which had malfunctioned and fallen to the ground, without the parachute deploying, police said.
"Parachute flares are normally launched to a height of about 300 metres, and descend slowly by parachute while burning with an intense red flame, Auckland city police said in a statement.
"In this case it appears that the flare was launched from land and fell into the residents' garden after the parachute failed."
