Three passengers in Minnesota had a lucky escape Wednesday when the hot-air balloon they were traveling in crashed into a power line, causing the basket to break off and igniting a fire, dramatic video footage shows.
The incident took place at around 6:50 p.m. as the balloon was attempting to land in a field in Rochester, the Rochester Police Department said in a statement.
A strong gust of wind pushed the balloon off course and into the power line on Highway 63 between 40th Street SE and 48th Street SE, police said.
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The video shows the hot-air balloon – with a blue, red and white-colored envelope – slowly descending alongside the highway during the calm and bright evening.
The lighter-than-air craft then edges toward the road and strikes the power line, causing several electrical sparks to fly.
The basket comes crashing down on the ground while the envelope shoots up into the sky. Police said the basket fell around 20 to 30 feet.
Several fires can then be seen breaking out, followed by a plume of smoke rising into the air. A number of vehicles pull over to witness the scene before police and firefighters arrive.
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Three passengers were inside the basket and two reported “very minor” injuries, police said.
A small brush fire broke out next to the basket, and the Rochester Fire Department quickly extinguished it, police said. The balloon was located a couple of miles away.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the incident, police said.
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Rochester Fire Capt. Chad Kuhlman said the passengers were lucky to survive.
“Everyone is miraculously OK,” Kuhlman told KIMT News 3.
“They hung up on the power lines. There was some sparking going with them hanging in the power lines in the basket. Eventually, the wire gave way, and the basket, and they took a drop from that wire to the ground,” he said.
In January, four people died and another was critically injured when a hot-air balloon crashed in the Arizona desert.
