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Firefighters in Longview, Texas, came to the rescue of two people who were stuck nearly 1,000 feet in the air in a hot air balloon basket.It happened Saturday after the balloon collided with a communications tower. “As we’re driving by, I see everybody looking up, so we start looking up and there’s a hot air balloon stuck in the tower, and we were like, oh my gosh,” one witness said.Less than 40 minutes after the initial call, the fire department began climbing the telecommunications tower.”Kind of the Super Bowl of rope rescue. We talk about this one as being one of the logistical challenges because of the height,” one firefighter said.As firefighters climbed the 1,000-foot tower, a crowd began to gather, growing as time ticked on. Danny James joined the onlookers out of concern for the people stuck, but his reason to stay quickly changed.”When I drove up here, I was just watching a rescue that I wasn’t sure about, and then, you know, once, once I knew it was my cousin, it definitely changed, you know, my feeling of what was going on,” James said.He said he learned about the crash from a news alert, and a prayer chain text revealed his cousin Rick James was in the basket. Danny James said Rick is at least in his 70s and successfully completed the 900-foot descent, along with his passenger, Meg Reynolds.The pair was one of 10 balloons flying to a birthday celebration, the first flight of 2026 for many.They were both taken to the hospital by ambulance as a precaution.
Firefighters in Longview, Texas, came to the rescue of two people who were stuck nearly 1,000 feet in the air in a hot air balloon basket.
It happened Saturday after the balloon collided with a communications tower.
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“As we’re driving by, I see everybody looking up, so we start looking up and there’s a hot air balloon stuck in the tower, and we were like, oh my gosh,” one witness said.
Less than 40 minutes after the initial call, the fire department began climbing the telecommunications tower.
“Kind of the Super Bowl of rope rescue. We talk about this one as being one of the logistical challenges because of the height,” one firefighter said.
As firefighters climbed the 1,000-foot tower, a crowd began to gather, growing as time ticked on.
Danny James joined the onlookers out of concern for the people stuck, but his reason to stay quickly changed.
“When I drove up here, I was just watching a rescue that I wasn’t sure about, and then, you know, once, once I knew it was my cousin, it definitely changed, you know, my feeling of what was going on,” James said.
He said he learned about the crash from a news alert, and a prayer chain text revealed his cousin Rick James was in the basket.
Danny James said Rick is at least in his 70s and successfully completed the 900-foot descent, along with his passenger, Meg Reynolds.
The pair was one of 10 balloons flying to a birthday celebration, the first flight of 2026 for many.
They were both taken to the hospital by ambulance as a precaution.
