Morning commuters witness hot air balloons landing along Highway 101 north of Petaluma

The two bright yellow hot air balloons were spotted by morning commuters around 8:15 a.m. near the Cotati Grade.|
SUSAN MINICHIELLO
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Two hot air balloons landed Thursday morning near Highway 101’s Cotati Grade.

The bright yellow balloons were spotted around 8:15 a.m. near the southbound lanes of the highway by morning commuters. It’s unclear who operated the balloons and where they initially planned to land.

No injuries were reported by authorities.

This month, two hot air balloons crashed in Napa County. One, operated by Santa Rosa-based Wine Country Balloons, crashed Sunday morning, injuring three people on board, according to the Napa County Sheriff’s Office.

Another balloon, registered to Balloons Above the Valley in Napa, crashed into power lines near Yountville on April 1, causing three passengers to suffer burns, Cali Fire said.

You can reach Staff Writer Susan Minichiello at 707-521-5216 or susan.minichiello@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @susanmini.

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