Strong winds are being blamed after a bounce house at a child’s birthday party lifted off the ground and was carried into live power lines on Saturday in Niagara, NY.
READ MORE: Bounce houses a big hit at parties but number of kids injured has soared 15-fold, study finds
Video of the incident was captured by a nearby resident, who recorded the party toy sailing into a telephone pole, causing a bright flash and sparks.
Sarah Laurie, the woman who shot the video, can be heard asking if “everybody accounted for?”
Fortunately no one was in the bounce house at the time of the accident and no injuries were reported.
WATCH: Company owner explains what may have caused bounce house to go airborne
Power was temporarily cut to the lines as workers retrieved the fly-away inflatable.
Michael Gersitz, the owner of Party in Buffalo Bounce House Rentals, said the bounce house was likely not secured to the ground properly.
“Basically you need to secure it to the ground, just like the manufacturer suggests,” Gersitz told WIVB. “Normally they give you 24-inch stakes, 18-inch stakes to secure it down to the ground. That way it doesn’t move on you.”
Witnesses said the wind was like a tornado when the bounce house went airborne.
“It is probably not a good time to get a bounce house,” added Gersitz. “Anything over 15-20 mph winds, it is probably not safe to have an inflatable device because things like this can happen.”
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