Two Passengers Rescued from Balloon on Texas Tower

Two passengers escaped unharmed after their hot air balloon collided with a cell phone tower in Longview, Texas, on Saturday morning, leaving them suspended nearly 1,000 feet above the ground in a dramatic high-angle rescue operation.

The incident occurred around 8:15 a.m. in north Gregg County, near the intersection of Farm-to-Market Road 1844 and State Highway 300. According to the Longview Fire Department, the rainbow-colored balloon struck the 1,100-foot tower, puncturing its envelope on the structure's sharp edges and leaving the basket dangling approximately 920 feet in the air. The passengers, whose identities have not been released, remained conscious throughout the ordeal and reported no injuries.

Emergency responders from the Longview Fire Department, along with assisting agencies, arrived promptly and initiated climbing operations around 8:50 a.m. Fourteen rescuers, including both on-duty and off-duty personnel, scaled the tower using multiple 300-foot rope systems to navigate the extreme height and windy conditions. They reached the basket by 10 a.m. and carefully lowered the occupants section by section, completing the extraction around 10:58 a.m. Officials...