Hot-air balloon gets stuck in neighborhood tree, starts to melt

By Ben Hooper
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Oct. 24 (UPI) -- A hot-air balloon's rough ride in Connecticut was caught on camera when the basket became stuck on a tree and the balloon started to melt.

Amy Doyle of Wallingford recorded video Sunday morning when the hot-air balloon became snagged on a tree outside of a home shortly after taking off from the Aqua Turf Club in Southington.

Doyle filmed as the balloon operator attempted to use the torch to gain altitude, but ended up melting a hole in the balloon.

The balloon's operator, Penelope Christy, was able to safely land the vehicle at nearby Parker Farms Elementary School. Christy and her four passengers were not injured.

Christy said balloons often use treetops to slow their descent, but she ran into trouble when the basket became snagged on the rough branches.

"We just carried on," Christy told the Record-Journal newspaper. "The integrity of the aircraft was not compromised."

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