A hot-air balloon, with two passengers aboard, was blown into a cell phone tower standing 925 feet, or more than 280 meters, high in Longview, a city east of Dallas, Texas. The crash on February 28th left the two passengers dangling near the top of the tower as the balloon became entangled in its guying cables.

Emergency crews from police and fire departments responded. As rescuers climbed using several ropes, they battled the same strong winds that had led to the crash, working for more than an hour to free the passengers in what was deemed [quote] "a rare, high-risk operation." [endquote] They were brought down safely.

The scene in Texas was reminiscent of an incident in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2024 when a hot-air balloon crashed into the tower of radio station KKOB-AM. The three passengers on board that balloon were also rescued safely.