Hot-air balloon strikes and collapses radio tower in Albuquerque during festival

A hot-air balloon struck and collapsed a radio tower Friday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during the city’s famous festival — the second time in 20 years that a balloon has come into contact with the tower.

There were no reports of injuries, said Kevin Carhart, a spokesperson for the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. The balloon, which had three people on board, landed safely in a field after it struck the tower.

The tower transmits radio signal for KKOB-AM.

The Aerostar International Inc. S-57A balloon took off from a park as part of the 52nd annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, said the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating.

It wasn’t clear how tall the tower was. News footage of the aftermath showed no other structures in the path of the collapsed tower.

In 2004, a balloon shaped like the face of Smokey Bear got wrapped around a radio tower during the festival, forcing the pilot and two passengers to climb most of the way down the structure. A festival spokesperson confirmed to The Associated Press that is the same tower that a balloon struck Friday.

A balloon bumped into a power line earlier this week in Albuquerque on the festival’s third day, leaving nearly 13,000 customers without power for almost an hour.

The fiesta is one of the world’s most photographed events, drawing hundreds of thousands of spectators each fall to New Mexico to look up at more than 100 balloons in bright colours and special shapes.