Firefighter about the fallen balloon: if the impact had been stronger, the disaster could have resulted in deaths

Seven people were injured when a hot air balloon crashed into a building and then into a tree in Šilutė district, two of them were in intensive care. The incident happened on Sunday around 8 pm. The LNK journalist spoke with the representative of the Klaipėda Fire Rescue Board, Kęstučius Sadauskas, about the situation the rescuers found when they arrived at the scene and how seriously the people flying in the hot air balloon were injured.

– Yesterday at 20:29 a report was received that a hot air balloon crashed into a house and fell on trees in the village of Vilkų Kampos in the municipality of Šilutė district. When our firefighters arrived at the scene they found the balloon bag on the ground and the balloon dome stuck in the trees. There were three people near the balloon, and two more people were found in a meadow a few hundred meters away. After that, two more people came to the balloon themselves. Firefighters helped medics to provide first aid. Due to the downed power lines, the scene was cordoned off with a stop bar.

– And what is the primary knowledge, why did that incident happen in general?

– Well, I can’t say the original version. We simply do not have the competence to evaluate these reasons.

– You mentioned that the electric wires were cut. Were these high-voltage electrical wires, and what greater danger could they have posed to those in the balloon at the time?

– Yes, direct contact with electric wires is always dangerous for people. I can’t say what kind of cables and what voltages. I do not have such information now.

The entire LNK report is in the video:

– But there was also a blow to the house? Was it a very strong impact and the balloon got stuck in a tree after the impact? Maybe this is what helped to protect people from even greater injuries and that bag did not simply fall, but was supported by the balloon itself?

– Yes, the balloon was in the trees, but the bag was completely on the ground. In that sense, he had already fallen to the ground. But I believe that maybe the impact was not that big, because if the impact was bigger, we might have had people with more serious injuries and maybe even deaths, which, thank God, we managed to avoid.

– Have you personally ever had to save people in a similar situation during your professional career?

– No. At least in my career, this is the first time I had to face such a situation.