LONGVIEW, Texas — Firefighters in Longview, Texas, rescued two people after their hot air balloon became snagged on a cell phone tower, officials said.
The incident happened around 8:15 a.m. in northern Gregg County on Feb. 28 when the balloon struck the tower at an estimated 920 feet above the ground, leaving the two occupants trapped until crews reached them, FOX 4 reported.
| MORE: NFPA 1983: Where did it come from and what does it mean?
Firefighters began the rescue and made contact with the trapped hot air balloon occupants around 10 a.m., officials said.
Both people in the balloon basket were conscious and uninjured.
Firefighters said crews used multiple rope systems due to the height and complexity of the rescue.
Trending
A North Royalton firefighter died while battling a house fire in Broadview Heights
More than 200 first responders battled the two-story row home blaze for about three hours, with four victims dying at the scene and two more pronounced dead at the hospital, as fire marshals investigate a lithium-ion battery found at the scene
Local 734 President Matthew Coster says the city’s aging fleet and lack of reserve vehicles leave firefighters stretched thin, warning that larger response areas and increased overtime demands require a long-term fleet replacement strategy, not just new trucks
The new law, which also presumes fentanyl as cause of death in related overdose cases, aims to track the state’s fentanyl crisis, but recovery advocates warn it could discourage people from calling 911 and leaves implementation details unresolved
