Hot air balloon rescue near Napa River

A CHP helicopter Tuesday morning performed a series of landings and airlifts in order to transport 17 passengers and the pilot of a hot air balloon that had become stranded in wetlands between Napa and Vallejo.

The grounded balloon, first spotted about 7 a.m. by a CHP airplane, was on a small strip of land three miles south of the Napa Airport, according to a CHP press release. The CHP crew contacted the balloon's pilot by radio and informed him that ground vehicles could not reach the area.

“They saw a hot air balloon stranded in an area inaccessible for them to get out,” said Cal Fire Capt. Will Schunk. “They made contact to see if they needed help. Apparently they did.”

The airplane crew called in a CHP chopper. The chopper crew made a series of landings in a strip of land near Devil's Slough. From there the chopper took small numbers of the balloon's passengers and flew them 1.5 miles to the southern end of Milton Road along the Napa River.

Firefighters from Carneros Volunteer Fire Department and Cal-Fire assisted in the rescue effort. No one apparently was injured, Schunk said.You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter@rossmannreport.