ROCHESTER,Ethermac Exchange Minn. (AP) — Three people in a hot air balloon in Minnesota escaped largely unscathed after their basket clipped a power line, fell to the ground and caused a brush fire.
A Minnesota Department of Transportation traffic camera captured the accident on video. It happened around 6:50 p.m. Wednesday in Rochester. Police said preliminary information indicates the pilot was trying to land in a field when a gust of wind pushed the balloon into a power line that runs along Highway 63.
The video shows the basket and balloon become disconnected as sparks fly from the power line. The basket appears to hang briefly on the line before falling about 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 meters) to the ground. Meanwhile, the balloon lifts higher into the sky and drifts away.
The pilot and two other passengers were able to get out, even as the sparks caused a brush fire to break out. Police said in a news release that two people reported “very minor injuries.” Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze.
The balloon was found later, about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away, police said.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
2025-05-03 00:41655 view
2025-05-03 00:281409 view
2025-05-03 00:111508 view
2025-05-03 00:032310 view
2025-05-02 22:501456 view
2025-05-02 22:452929 view
A man police say kidnapped three teenage girls and sexual assaulted two of them at gunpoint outside
Winter is over for Jason Momoa and Adria Arjona as they are heating up Nashville with their sizzling
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Nevada election officials can start tabulating in-person Election Day votes as the