Wind Causes A Hot Air Balloon To Become Stuck In An Unusual Place
Wind over Hartland Township caused a hot air balloon to become lodged in a tree in a Michigan family’s yard on Sunday. Hartland Deerfield Fire Authority Fire Marshal Michael Bernardin told the Livingston Daily that firefighters responded to the bizarre call around 9 pm.
The hot air balloon was trapped in a tree in the Autumn Woods subdivision. “The balloon itself was stuck in the tree,” Fire Marshall Bernardin clarified. The hot air balloon actually landed safely on the ground in the subdivision. It was not a crash landing that caused the balloon to become tangled in the tree. The balloon’s passenger’s exited the basket safely after landing. As the hot air balloon’s pilot detached the basket, the wind blew the 300-pound hot air balloon into the family’s front yard tree. The hot air balloon was then draped over the 35-foot tree in a private citizen’s yard. The unusual scene brought neighborhood onlookers.
“The tree was about 15- to 20-feet away from where they landed,” Lt. Sean Kletzka told the Livingston Daily. “It was tangled up pretty good. We had to use the aerial to get it. We didn’t want to damage the balloon. We had to finesse it off.” The firefighters removed the hot air balloon from the tree without causing any damage.
The Hartland Deerfield Authority posted a status update about the hot air balloon excitement on their Facebook page:
“HDFA responded to a citizens assist call last night at roughly 9pm. HDFA received a call stating a hot air balloon has landed and was stuck in a tree. Call information also stated no one was injured and everyone was safely out of the basket. Engine 60, Ladder 61, C-602, Cpt 62, Lt 61-2, and FM-6 responded. On arrival, Ladder 61 tied off to the balloon and lifted the entangled balloon straps up from around the 35 foot tree. HDFA was able to remove the 300lb balloon with no damage.”
The Livingston Daily reported that the balloon’s owner is unknown, but WHMI News had purchased the hot air balloon’s ad space. The Livingston Daily‘s Amanda Whitesell explained:
“Balloons often aren’t owned by the advertised business displayed on them. The advertising is often leased from the balloon’s owner.”
The Hartland Deerfield Fire Authority said that it took firefighters about an hour to dislodge the hot air balloon from the tree. After the hot air balloon excitement, the firefighters took their commitment to the community even further and offered the neighborhood children tours of the fire engines.
[Photo via Facebook]
