A burning Chinese lantern flown by a tourist crashed into a home's balcony during the country's annual celebrations.

The floating paper lamp was launched into the air by Richard Casiguran - who was hopeful it would bring him luck as he wrote his personal wishes on it - when sudden gusts blew and pushed it away at the Shifen Old Street in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on October 2.

Footage shows the lantern with a burning candle inside slowly drifting upwards before being swept into the property, where it engulfed itself and almost caused a fire.

Shockingly, the burning paper lantern was stuck on the balcony rails but did not spread to other parts of the home.

Richard said: ‘A lantern with my wishes written on it crashed a few seconds after I released it and almost caused a fire in Shifen Old Street in Taiwan.'

Residents in China, and some parts of Taiwan, are celebrating National Day, a long holiday marking Communist roots, that stretches from October 1 to October 7.

Chinese lanterns were originally used for military purposes, such as signalling troops or sending messages. They became for festive occasions over the years and are now used around the world.