Hot Canadian Tour

Using a blowtorch in a wooden basket with a fabric balloon doesn't always work out as planned:

SURREY, British Columbia — A hot air balloon caught fire and crashed in a trailer park and campground Friday evening, injuring as many as 11 people, police and local reports said. Two other people were unaccounted for.

The cause of the accident wasn't known; weather conditions were clear at the time of the sunset flight. CTV television reported that the crash caused at least three 40-foot trailer homes to catch fire, though nobody was hurt in those blazes.

The balloon's basket burst into flames shortly after takeoff, when it was about 25 feet off the ground, according to CTV. Witnesses said passengers screamed and jumped to the ground. The balloon reportedly took off from a grassy field with 12 passengers.

People who had been riding in the balloon suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to hospitals in the nearby Vancouver area, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Roger Morrow said in a statement.

Thank goodness they weren't any higher or this might have really been tragic.