At Least 8 People Dead After Hot Air Balloon Catches Fire Mid-Air, Forcing Passengers to Jump to Escape the Blaze

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A hot air balloon caught fire mid-air in Brazil on June 21
At least eight of the 21 passengers died in the incident, which the local governor described as a tragedy
The source of the blaze was a back-up burner located in the basket of the aircraft, according to the pilotAt least eight people died after a hot air balloon caught fire mid-air, forcing passengers to jump out of the basket to avoid the flames.
The fire occurred in the skies of Praia Grande — a municipality in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, and a popular destination for hot air ballooning — on the morning of Saturday, June 21, according to Jorginho Mello, the state's governor.
At the time of the incident, there were 21 total people on board the tourist flight, eight of whom have since been confirmed dead, Mello said in an X post, which was originally penned in Portuguese. The 13 other passengers survived, the Santa Catarina governor added. (The Santa Catarina Military Fire Brigade later shared the same fatality count for the incident.)
Mello said officials are currently continuing to monitor the situation.
Onlookers captured the tragedy in videos taken from several angles. In footage posted by Agora Portal, smoke could be seen billowing from the hot air balloon, while flames enveloped the basket.
Two passengers next appeared to jump or fall from the aircraft, one after the other, and the balloon then deflated rapidly, sending the aircraft, still ablaze, hurdling to the ground
The footage also showed that the basket ended up detaching from the balloon shortly before it touched down.
Describing the scene to the local newspaper Jornal Razão, one eyewitness said that after the balloon caught fire, people jumped to escape the blaze. Some jumped per the pilot's orders, the newspaper said.
After the pilot realized the hot air balloon was on fire, he attempted to descend as quickly as possible and told passengers to jump when the aircraft got close to the ground, Jornal Razão reported.
Some of the passengers managed to jump and survive, while others did not escape the basket fire in time, per the Brazilian newspaper.
According to Jornal Razão, the pilot said the blaze was caused by a backup torch inside the basket, which generated a spontaneous flame.
The pilot told authorities, per the newspaper, that he is not sure if the spare — which is kept aboard the aircraft in case the main burner fails — ignited on its own, but it did start the fire.
The identities of the passengers, as well as the status of the survivors' health, have not yet been released publicly.
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Mello shared a statement of support for the victims and their families in a video on X shortly after his initial post.
In his statement, the Santa Catarina governor expressed his condolences to those affected by the fatal incident, which he described as a tragedy, and pledged the state government's support.
Brazil's president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, also expressed his support in a statement of his own.
'I would like to express my solidarity with the families of the victims of the balloon accident that occurred this Saturday morning in Santa Catarina,' the president wrote in an X post, originally penned in Portuguese.
He continued. 'I would like to place the Federal Government at the disposal of the victims and the state and municipal forces that are working on the rescue and care for the survivors.'
Read the original article on People