A hot air balloon crashed into a primary school on the first day of the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta.
The balloon, carrying the logo of JLL, the commercial real estate and property investment company, was one of 90 that took part in a mass ascent on Friday, beginning at 6.20am.
It was spotted flying low at 7.11am before hitting the roof of Oasis Academy Connaught, in the Knowle West area — close to the planned landing site.
Two occupants in the basket could be seen holding on as they crashed into the pitched roof of the school and got dragged up the tiles.
They pulled on the cord to put the burners on and the hot air balloon briefly rose above the roof before dropping again and crashing for a second time. The balloon was eventually able to recover and rise up and over the roof of the school.
Stephanie, 22, an eyelash technician, who captured the moment on video, said: “I thought, ‘that one is looking a bit low’ and pressed record. The basket was tilting, it looked like they were going to fall out. It must have been scary.”
A spokesman for the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta said: “During this morning’s incredible mass ascent of 90 hot air balloons, one of the balloons clipped a roof as it was coming into land. Everyone landed safely and we are looking forward to a brilliant fiesta weekend.”
Other balloons involved in the mass ascent, which happened at 6am on Friday
FINNBARR WEBSTER/GETTY IMAGES
The international festival attracts hundreds of thousands of people and is the largest hot air balloon multi-day event in Europe. It’s the 47th anniversary of the festival in the city, which attracts pilots from all over the world and includes hundreds of different shaped balloons.
The free event is on until Sunday, with flights scheduled between 6am and 9pm on Friday and Saturday, and until 6.30pm on Sunday. Visitors can also enjoy “nightglows”, when balloons light up the sky in the evening, and entertainment at the Ashton Court estate, where the launches take place.
Clare Robinson, regional director at Oasis Community Learning, said the balloon “lost power and made contact with the roof of Oasis Academy Connaught”, which caused minor damage to the roof tiles and will be repaired by a contractor.
“We’re relieved to confirm that no one was harmed, and the academy was largely unoccupied due to the summer holidays,” she said.
“The situation was swiftly and professionally managed by our site manager, Rob Price, who was very local at the time.
“Most importantly, we’re incredibly thankful that everyone is safe and that the balloon was able to carefully land in the school field, without disturbing the festivities.
“We remain proud to be part of the Bristol community and hope everyone continues to enjoy the Balloon Fiesta this weekend, as we are.”