The winds carried a hot air balloon into Kelowna’s Dilworth Mountain Estates Tuesday morning, but the breeze quickly died, forcing the operator to land on a residential street.
“It doesn’t happen that often,” Okanagan Ballooning owner John Klempner said of the landing choice.
The balloon was seen in the sky over the Chilcotin neighbourhood just before 8 a.m. right as the winds stalled.
Klempner lowered the balloon to Chilanko Court, much to the amazement of residents who rushed out of their homes to witness the event.
As for the two Kelowna couples who were in the basket enjoying the ride, Klempner said there were no complaints about the detour.
“They loved it,” he told Global News.
The original plan was to land on a farm field on Benvoulin Drive, according to Klempner, but they had no choice to follow the changing wind.
The chase crew caught up with the balloon crew a short time later. No one was injured and the balloon was undamaged.