Report of downed hot air balloon turns up farmer’s tarp near Snohomish

SNOHOMISH — A dramatic scramble to find an apparently downed hot air balloon near Snohomish ended in an anticlimax Friday, when first responders discovered a farm had briefly lost a big white crop tarp to the wind.

Around 12:20 p.m., at least two people called 911, believing they saw a white “hot air balloon with a basket” crashing between Highway 9 and Springhetti Road, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. It’s a popular spot for aerial sightseeing, with colorful hot air balloons often launching right down the street.

Eleven search-and-rescue units responded in search of the balloon, spokesperson Courtney O’Keefe said. Five of the units were fire crews. Two were drone operators.

According to Harvey Airfield, there were no scheduled flights for that day, police said. Authorities immediately suspected it could be a weather balloon.

Shortly after, a nearby farmer told officers that he had lost a large white tarp to the wind, sending it 100 feet in the air before it crashed back down, O’Keefe said. The tarp was located 25 minutes later, close to the location the witnesses initially saw it fall.

In 2009, a helium-filled gas balloon was released into the sky by Richard and Mayumi Heene in Colorado. They claimed their 6-year-old son Falcon was trapped inside, attracting worldwide attention while authorities frantically tried to pursue the balloon, which reached a peak height of 7,000 feet.

Later, the so-called “Balloon Boy” was found hiding in his attic, where he had been the whole time. It is now considered a hoax event.

In the incident south of Snohomish, drones continued to search the area “just in case,” but couldn’t find anything else, according to the sheriff’s office.

Jonathan Tall: 425-339-3486; jonathan.tall@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @EDHJonTall.