METHUEN, MASS. (WHDH) - Residents in Methuen got an unexpected visit from a hot air balloon Tuesday that skimmed across a wooded area and landed in a yard.
Methuen firefighters responding to a report of a smiley face hot air balloon in a yard on Haymeadow Road about 6:30 a.m. found that all six passengers were safe and unharmed.
The sight of a hot air balloon in the front yard of a home was an unusual early morning surprise to neighborhood children.
“The actual balloon of it was like bigger than a house,” one child told 7News. “I am serious.”
@cityofmethuen an unexpected vistor dropped in at 6:30am at 22 Haymeadow. A hot air balloon skimmed across the trees & landed in the yard. & @MethuenFire responded and found all six passengers including its pilot to be safe an unharmed. via @ChiefSolomon pic.twitter.com/MgqQUgPqS2
— Methuen Police 🇺🇸 (@MethuenPolice) June 26, 2018
Neighbors feared something was wrong and phoned the police, but Tony Sica, the owner of High 5 Ballooning, says he makes many landings on streets.
“Most of our landings are on streets or yards or side yards,” he said. “Of course, if we find a field or a lot or a cul-de-sac, we’ll take it.”
The balloon was carrying people celebrating birthdays and anniversaries.
“It was huge, that’s what I thought,” another child said. “I thought I could ride it into outer space.”
Sica gave a bottle of champagne to the family whose yard the balloon landed in.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)