2 people rescued from hot air balloon stuck in 920-foot cell tower
USA TODAY
Two people were rescued from a hot air balloon after it got caught in a communications tower more than 900 feet in the air in rural East Texas.
Two people are now on land after being rescued from a hot air balloon that got stuck in a communications tower more than 900 feet in the air in rural East Texas.
The Longview Fire Department said in a Facebook post that around 8:15 a.m. local time Feb. 28, units responded to a "high angle rescue after a hot air balloon basket carrying two occupants struck a cell phone tower at an estimated height of 920 feet near the intersection" in Gregg County.
Longview, the county seat of Gregg County, is some 130 miles east of Dallas.
Firefighters began climbing operations around 8:50 a.m., "using multiple rope systems due to the extreme height and complexity of the incident," according to the post. Rescuers made contact with the occupants at about 10 a.m., and they were both secured and safe inside the nearby tower by 10:58 a.m.
Both occupants were on the ground by 12:47 p.m. that day, the fire department said. Following the rescue, both victims were conscious, and no injuries were reported, it added.
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