LACONIA — A hot air balloon made a slow, but safe, emergency landing Tuesday night, right into the quiet, gated community of South Down Shores on Paugus Bay.
The Laconia Fire Department was sent to Heron Trace at 7:27 p.m. on June 23, and arrived at 7:30 p.m., after the balloon equipment was already being packed up.
Fire Chief Tim Joubert said the crews were informed when they arrived that everything was normal, and it was simply a precautionary landing.
Joubert reported the balloon started its journey from Brattleboro, Vermont, before landing in the city, a roughly 100-mile journey. A chase vehicle was following the balloon on the ground, and alerted the pilot of low propane levels, leading to the unplanned landing.
Residents across the Lakes Region took to Facebook, sharing photos of their view of the balloon’s journey and landing along Paugus Bay, believing the pilot was following the wind before the emergency landing, mere feet from multiple homes on Heron Trace.
The landing was controlled, and no injuries were reported.
Joubert referred further details to Laconia Police, who arrived on-scene first, but could not be reached by press time.
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