KATY, Texas – Cellphone video captured a hot air balloon's rough landing in the middle of a Cinco Ranch neighborhood Thursday morning.
Ryan Lopez and his wife were out doing an errand when they saw the balloon, something, he said, that is not uncommon in Katy, but he's never seen one floating that low.
"We saw that it was going right toward the lake," Lopez said. "He was almost in the water. At one point, we saw him just tap the water. I guess he gave it a little more gas, and it kept going across."
All of this was happening in a neighborhood near the intersection of Cinco Ranch Boulevard and Spring Green. It's a busy intersection with lots of traffic and buildings.
The balloon eventually came down on Springwood Lake Drive near Ellerbe Springs Lane.
"There could have been cars, an apartment complex, there are houses everywhere," Lopez said. "I think he was trying to land at the park and ended up in the street. I guess with a balloon, you don't have much control."
Lopez said after the balloon landed, three men pulled up in a truck, helped deflate the balloon and put it in the back of their pickup and left.
"It was a little bit of excitement," he said. "It's a real blessing nobody got hurt."