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Hot-Air Balloon Hits Service Lines, Causes Outage

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Mar 9, 2008 4:42 pm US/Pacific

Hot-Air Balloon Hits Service Lines, Causes Outage

RANCHO CALIFORNIA, Calif. More than 450 homes and businesses lost power Sunday when a hot-air balloon carrying five people hit utility lines and crashed east of Temecula, authorities said.

The balloon crashed in rural Rancho California, according to Riverside County fire spokeswoman Jody Hagemann. No one on board was injured.

The crash was reported at 8:33 a.m. near Madera de Playa Drive and Anza Road, Hagemann said.

An estimated 485 Southern California Edison customers lost power when the balloon tore down utility lines, according to Edison spokesman Steve Conroy.

"The balloon hit some overhead conductors and some lines came down," Conroy said.

Power was restored to most customers by 9:40 a.m., Conroy said.

Hot-air balloon crashes are rare compared to the number of balloon flights in the area, but they can be deadly.

Eleven months ago, a woman died and two other people were injured when a hot-air balloon struck power lines and crashed in high desert winds near Mecca.

(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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