WATCH | Hot air balloon makes ‘near-perfect landing between cars’ in residential street

In an unusual incident, a hot air balloon made an unexpected landing in a narrow residential street in England on Saturday (Aug 23). The incident, which happened in the town of Bedford on Bower Street, left the residents stunned as they watched the massive balloon descend between the houses, cars and overhead wires on a quiet morning.

According to a Guardian report, local resident Sam Coldham said he saw the balloon coming down about 9:30 am as the passerby watched, while he was walking his dog with his partner. The incident was captured on camera by local residents, video of which went viral on social media.

In the clip, several passersby can be seen rushing to help as they grab the guide rope to lower the balloon, avoiding the houses and parked cars. As it touches down on the ground, people can be heard cheering the safe landing.

“It was extraordinary. It came down quickly and uncontrollably, very nearly missing the terraced houses and pylons,” said Georgia Balać, whose partner helped in landing the balloon using an emergency line thrown down by the pilot. “It made a near-perfect landing between parked cars on either side.”

The pilot of the balloon, Oliver Surridge, 40, said that his training “kicked in” after he made a “split-second” decision to land the balloon in the residential street, according to the BBC. The balloon originally started its journey from Great Staughton, Cambridgeshire and was heading towards the Priory Marina area on the east side of Bedford. However, a change in wind direction forced him to think quickly and land in the residential street.

The British Balloon & Airship Club later confirmed the incident, which said that the balloon “landed without incident” and everyone on board was fine. Eben Chinn, a local resident who came out of his home to assist the landing, said that the only damage to the balloon was a small burn mark, which happened when it deflated quickly upon landing.