Hot air balloon catches fire in Canada (2 dead, 11 injured)

AP on Yahoo ^ | 8/25/07 | Jeremy Hainsworth - ap

[NormsRevenge]

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - A hot air balloon caught fire over western Canada, forcing screaming passengers to leap to the ground, some with their clothes in flames, witnesses said. Two people died and 11 were seriously injured, police said Saturday.

There were 12 passengers and a pilot on board when the balloon crashed Friday evening in a recreational vehicle park in Surrey, British Columbia, a suburb of Vancouver, police and witnesses said.

All but two of the people on the balloon were initially located and taken to area hospitals with serious but non-life threatening injuries, police said. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Roger Morrow told Canadian television Saturday the two dead were the ones who were initially missing but did not give any further details.

Witnesses said the balloon caught fire shortly after takeoff and passengers jumped out almost immediately. It then exploded in a fireball and shot up into the air, they said. Shortly after, the burning balloon plunged to ground, leaving a tail of thick black smoke in its wake.

"The thing went up about 400 feet in the air at which point it melted enough of the balloon — it collapsed," said Don Randall, a resident of the trailer park who took pictures of the scene. "The basket was basically a fireball. It just dropped like a stone," he added.

"I'm just thinking, 'Oh geez, I hope there's nobody in that thing. It's basically a burning death up there,'" he said.

Smoke could be seen billowing from the crash site from miles away.

The cause of the accident was not immediately known. Weather conditions were clear at the time of the sunset flight.

"People were screaming and trying to get out," Frank Hersey said Friday night near a grassy field where several of the injured were being attended to by ambulance crews.

Perry Kendall said he saw what looked like something out of a movie.

"It was horrifying," said a shaken Kendall. "Just looking at people screaming and jumping out of there. Some of them, I think, had fire on their clothes. It was just awful."

Witnesses also said propane tanks from the balloon shot off and landed on the Hazelmere RV park below, setting fire to three trailers and several vehicles. No one was reported hurt in those blazes.

Betty Nicholson, a spokeswoman for the Ambulances services, said they took 12 people to a hospital and that three had serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Nicholson said the more seriously injured have burns and internal bleeding. She was told most of them jumped out before the balloon was engulfed in flames.

Randall said at least two vehicles were damaged along with the RVs. He said he ran to his RV and grabbed a small fire extinguisher, but it proved of little use.

The hot-air balloon, which CTV reported was operated by Fantasy Balloons Charters based in Langley, British Columbia, was one of several balloons in flight at the time.

Company spokesman John K. George said he does not know why the balloon caught fire shortly after takeoff.

"The company deeply regrets this evening's incident and all injuries associated with it (and) inconvenience to those people being displaced," George said.

The Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

A similar incident occurred earlier this month in the central Canadian province of Manitoba, Manitoba, where 12 people were injured.

[NormsRevenge]

A hot air balloon's basket bursts into flames shortly after takeoff when it was about 25 feet off the ground in Surrey British Colombia Canada Friday evening Aug. 24, 2007. Witnesses said passengers screamed and jumped to the ground. The balloon reportedly took off from a grassy field with 12 passengers. The balloon crashed in a trailer park and campground , injuring as many as 11 people, police and local reports said. Two additional people were unaccounted for. (AP Photo/Don Randall) Mandatory Credit: Don Randall

[NormsRevenge]

Flames consume motor homes at the Hazelmere trailer park after a hot air balloon whose basket was engulfed in flames crashed into it shortly after takeoff in Surrey British Colombia Canada Friday evening Aug. 24, 2007. Witnesses said passengers screamed and jumped to the ground according to witnesses. The balloon reportedly took off from a grassy field with 12 passengers. The balloon crashed in the trailer park and campground , injuring as many as 11 people, police and local reports said. Two additional people were unaccounted for. (AP Photo/Don Randall) Mandatory Credit: Don Randall

[NormsRevenge]

A hot air balloon's basket is engulfed in flames shortly after takeoff when it was about 25 feet off the ground in Surrey British Colombia Canada Friday evening Aug. 24, 2007. Witnesses said passengers screamed and jumped to the ground. The balloon reportedly took off from a grassy field with 12 passengers. The balloon crashed in a trailer park and campground , injuring as many as 11 people, police and local reports said. Two additional people were unaccounted for. (AP Photo/Don Randall) Mandatory Credit: Don Randall

[cripplecreek]

Unfortunately the heat from the fire would cause the balloon to rise uncontrollably at first.

[stylin19a]

Yikes...I thought this was a thread about Ted Kennedy...darn it.

[Fitzcarraldo]

going up in a lawn chair tied to helium balloons is probably safer

[garyhope]

Is this because the passenger basket is made of woven reeds or “natural” material? Shouldn’t the passenger basket be made of aluminum or some other non flamable material?

No ballooning for me without a parachute.

[Vermont Lt]

Oh the humanity....

I have seen these things at fairs and other social events. You couldn’t pay me to get into one.

Doesnt mean that I don’t feel for the victims. What a scary thing to have happen.

[Bob J]

Ouch...

[SunTzuWu]

Unfortunately the heat from the fire would cause the balloon to rise uncontrollably at first.

More likely the weight of eleven people jumping out lightened the balloon. Remove half a ton of weight and the balloon is going up, like it or not.

[BlazingArizona]

Unfortunately the heat from the fire would cause the balloon to rise uncontrollably at first.

Not necessarily. A balloon hoods its altitude because of a delicate balance between heat-induced life and the weight of its payload, a balance delicately maintained by the pilot. In an accident like this, the firs person to jump out of the basket causes the balloon to rocket upward because of the reduced weight. If the balloon is on fire, the worst case, the rest of the passengers will now find they are too high to jump.

In a balloon accident, if trouble near the ground causes panic causes someone to jump, that person can save himself at the cost of all other lives on the balloon.

[OregonRancher]

Is this because the passenger basket is made of woven reeds or “natural” material? Shouldn’t the passenger basket be made of aluminum or some other non flamable material?

The baskets are made from rattan. When the basket hits or strikes the ground when the trip is over, the basket flex's and gives. You can see and feel it move with your hands and feet as it gives. A rigid structure would break or fracture with the same amount of stress when bouncing on and off the ground in a windy landing.

[Levante]

What a horrible way to die. Prayers for the victims and their families.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

“going up in a lawn chair tied to helium balloons is probably safer”

That was so hysterical. Could you please remember the name of the gentleman? I believe he even took a six pack of beer with him.

(Tragically, he committed suicide a few years later. In suicide cases like these, we always ask ourselves why. I never did read if there was a why.)

He sure gave everybody something about which to talk and have a good laugh at the same time...not at him, but about the whole scene. It was unforeseen bravery. He did not foresee what was going to happen.

Thank you.

[cyclotic]

The lawnchair guy’s name was Larry Walter.

There is a small community of others who are following in his footsteps. Some guy just made a 500 miles flight IIRC.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

“I have seen these things at fairs and other social events. You couldn’t pay me to get into one. Doesnt mean that I don’t feel for the victims. What a scary thing to have happen.”

Ditto.

I also don’t want to see that space of nothing between me and the ground.

I don’t mind flying because I am not in a little basket being held by threads to some bladder object above me.

[abner]

Yea. Horrible footage on TV too.
When I see something like this, I get a bit freaked out.

[Ready4Freddy]

Gotta be a leak in the burner unit.

[abner]

It sounds to me that it started on fire before he took off and he was telling people to get out.

The balloon will rise with the lighter weight, but he was tethered to the ground. Probably to a chase vehicle. From what I have been reading, the tethers holding him to the ground failed and that is why he took off.

My guess is that the tethers burned through.

Basic ballooning safety is that you tie off before inflating or launching. Tie off lines are substantial and very strong. The ones we use are about 2” wide nylon.

[abner]

Gotta be a leak in the burner unit.

I would doubt that. More than likely some sort of leak in the propane lines leading to the burners.

This balloon was a BIG one. We call them cattle cars because they hold so many people.