Edmonton Technical Rescue Team

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The Incident: 920 Feet in the Air

A hot air balloon carrying two people (a man and a woman) struck a 1,100-foot broadcast tower (often misreported as a cell tower) in north Gregg County. The balloon’s envelope tore and became entangled in the tower’s structure, leaving the basket suspended and swaying in the wind roughly 920 feet (280 meters) above the ground.

The Rescue Operation:
The Longview Fire Department's Technical Rescue Team (TRT) led the operation, which lasted about four hours.

The Climb:
Because there was no other way up, firefighters had to physically climb the tower. The lead rescuers were identified as Lt. Stephen Winchell and Firefighter Cliff Patrick.

The Gear:
Since standard rescue ropes are 300 feet, they had to "pitch" the rescue, fastening multiple sets of ropes together and setting up anchor points at various levels of the tower.

The Transfer:
Once they reached the basket at the 920-foot mark, they had to secure the basket to the tower to keep it from falling. They then suited the two passengers in harnesses and guided them out of the swaying basket and onto the tower structure.

The Descent:
The passengers were then lowered "rope by rope" down multiple sections of the tower until they reached the ground.

The Outcome:
Both passengers were rescued safely with no major injuries. They were taken to the hospital as a precaution but were in stable condition. Fire officials noted that this was a "historic rescue" for their department, combining two of their most difficult training scenarios - tower rescue and balloon/power line entanglement at an extreme height.

@typrescue
@dangerpayintel
@technicalrescued

03/04/2026

Different perspective of that balloon tower rescue 🛟

The Incident: 920 Feet in the Air A hot air balloon carrying two people (a man and a woman) struck a 1,100-foot broadcast tower (often misreported as a cell tower) in north Gregg County. The balloon’s envelope tore and became entangled in the tower’s structure, leaving the basket suspended and swaying in the wind roughly 920 feet (280 meters) above the ground. The Rescue Operation: The Longview Fire Department's Technical Rescue Team (TRT) led the operation, which lasted about four hours. The Climb: Because there was no other way up, firefighters had to physically climb the tower. The lead rescuers were identified as Lt. Stephen Winchell and Firefighter Cliff Patrick. The Gear: Since standard rescue ropes are 300 feet, they had to "pitch" the rescue, fastening multiple sets of ropes together and setting up anchor points at various levels of the tower. The Transfer: Once they reached the basket at the 920-foot mark, they had to secure the basket to the tower to keep it from falling. They then suited the two passengers in harnesses and guided them out of the swaying basket and onto the tower structure. The Descent: The passengers were then lowered "rope by rope" down multiple sections of the tower until they reached the ground. The Outcome: Both passengers were rescued safely with no major injuries. They were taken to the hospital as a precaution but were in stable condition. Fire officials noted that this was a "historic rescue" for their department, combining two of their most difficult training scenarios - tower rescue and balloon/power line entanglement at an extreme height. @typrescue @dangerpayintel @technicalrescued

On Saturday, Longview firefighters rescued two people stuck in a hot air balloon over 900 feet in the air. This is the moment they were taken out of the basket. @longview_union_firefighters

03/03/2026

Fantastic job 👊🏻

On Saturday, Longview firefighters rescued two people stuck in a hot air balloon over 900 feet in the air. This is the moment they were taken out of the basket. @longview_union_firefighters

02/26/2026

Thoughts?

02/10/2026

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Edmonton Technical Rescue Team

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