Canada: Hot air balloon burns

[DesertFox]

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. ...

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070825/capt.1060d2cc777d48a785d795f949a111a2.aptopix_cana da_balloon_crash_ny107.jpg?x=380&y=253&sig=S3.4U4w1lhn.tIS5ZTeV9g--

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.

More (http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8R85T280&show_article=1)

[Rhino]

2 Dead in Canada Hot Air Balloon Fire

By JEREMY HAINSWORTH
The Associated Press
Saturday, August 25, 2007; 11:33 PM

http://www.avweb.com/newspics/hotairballoon_crash_2007.jpg

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- A hot air balloon burst into flames over western Canada, burning a woman and her adult daughter to death while their families looked on, officials said Saturday. Other passengers leaped to the ground, some with their clothes in flames, witnesses said....

...the fire started as the balloon was about to launch. Kageorge said three passengers did not get out of the basket before it became airborne.

"One person jumped from an unsafe distance, two stories in the air or more," said Kageorge. The mother and daughter did not jump, he said, although two of their family members made it out of the basket....

..."It's just tragic. They watched it unfold before their eyes," Morrow said of the family. "The fatalities suffered from burns."

The balloon caught fire as it prepared to launch...

..."The crew loaded 12 passengers and was preparing to launch when a fire erupted. The pilot asked the passengers to get out of the basket," he said. "The balloon was tethered at the time, but then broke and came loose," he added.

"They were all trying to get out."

After most of the passengers escaped, the balloon exploded in a fireball and shot up into the air. Shortly after, the burning balloon plunged to ground in the RV park, 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....http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/25/AR2007082500444.html

[buckeyepete]

Damn, whatta way to go. R.I.P.

[Rhino]

Imagine being the family member and watching it.

[DesertFox]

Threads merged.

[DesertFox]

leaving a tail of thick black smoke Now THIS is serious shit.

[Rhino]

Threads merged.I only missed it by two days. :rotflmbo: