A radio tower near Balloon Fiesta Park in Albuquerque collapsed after it was struck by a hot-air balloon Friday morning, according to Bernalillo County Fire Rescue.
The incident happened at 10511 Second Street NW.
A spokesperson for fire rescue, Bryant Harris, said there were no injuries and the balloon continued flying and landed safely. Harris said a home near the incident was evacuated for precaution and the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the incident.
Tom Garrity, spokesperson for the Balloon Fiesta, confirmed the tower is owned by Cumulus Broadcasting and is one of two towers on the property. Garrity said the company’s engineers are assessing the second tower.
Garrity could not confirm which balloon hit the tower but said it was banner 028. According to the Balloon Fiesta’s website, the banner number belongs to two balloons, Blue Moon and Foolish Pleasure, and the pilot is Dan Ewer of Tucson, Arizona.
There have now been three hot air balloon crashes this week. A hot air balloon crashed into a tree in Rio Rancho Wednesday. Another hit a power line near Midtown Monday, causing a power outage that impacted more than 12,000 Public Service Co. of New Mexico customers.