Two occupants were rescued from a hot air balloon basket after crashing into a cell phone tower in Texas. | Courtesy ABC7
A HEROIC RESCUE — Video of a wild rescue involving two people who were in a hot air balloon basket when it struck a cell phone tower has gone viral.
Longview Fire Department in Texas said the incident happened last month. However, footage of the incident has continued to circle around online.
According to a Facebook post made by the fire department, at approximately 8:15 a.m. on Feb. 28, 2026, units from Longview Fire Department and multiple assisting agencies were called to a high angle rescue.
Video shows a hot air balloon had crashed into a tower and was tangled, leaving the basket dangling in mid-air with people inside. The fire department said the occupants crashed at an estimated height of 920 feet.
“Climbing operations began around 8:50 a.m. using multiple rope systems due to the extreme height and complexity of the incident,” the fire department wrote. “Rescuers made patient contact at approximately 10:00 a.m.”
Both occupants, a man and woman, were conscious when firefighters made contact with them. The occupants were carefully secured and extricated out of the basket then secured inside the tower, according to information released during a news conference. The lowering process then began.
The occupants were back on the ground at 12:47 p.m. No injuries were reported but the man and woman were taken to a hospital as a precautionary measure.
The City of Longview is holding a community appreciation event on March 31 to honor the rescue teams involved in what was described as “one of the most challenging technical rescues in our region’s history.”
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