Canberra residents wake to find hot air balloon in their backyard

Residents woke up to a surprising start to the weekend after a hot air balloon made an unexpected landing.

A Canberra suburb woke up to a surprising start to the weekend after a hot air balloon made an unexpected landing.

The hot air balloon came down in a backyard of someone’s home in the suburb of Lyons about 9.20am on Saturday.

Having an unscheduled hot air balloon landing in your neighbour’s backyard causes quite the stir on a Saturday morning. pic.twitter.com/ryJU1PA1n7

— Matthew Cossey (@Matthew_Cossey) February 16, 2024

Emergency crews were called to the scene to assist.

Luckily the balloon passengers were able to climb out of the basket without injury.

ACT police confirmed minor damage to three properties had occurred after the surprise landing.

Residents were startled to see a balloon crash into two suburban backyards. Picture: Supplied/Matthew Cossey

The balloon was later deflated. Picture: Supplied/Matthew Cossey

The balloon has since been deflated.

Footage of the unusual Saturday morning scene showed neighbours and passer-bys coming to take a look at the spectacle.

Resident Matthew Cossey said the whole “unusual” event caused “quite the stir” in the normally quiet neighbourhood.

It’s understood the Australian Transport Safety Bureau is now investigating how the hot air balloon came to land in the backyards.